A.N. Hey guys! It's been a while, but I have a new update for you! I still have two more weeks to work, so it might be three before another update, but you guys deserve this! Thank you for all the support and awesome comments!
Without further ado, LEE VS GAARA!
NOW:
After a brief intermission, everyone was back on the catwalk and awaiting the next match. Masuko, Kakashi, Guy, and their teams stayed in a big group, while the other genin remained in their own teams. There were only two matches left, and a tension in the air.
Tsukiko stood by the catwalk stairs, carefully watching the Hokage. An Anbu ninja, likely bringing news that Hinata had made it safely to the emergency room, had appeared and disappeared just as quick. Still, she wanted to make sure that the message had nothing to do with Sasuke. The instant he was in trouble, she'd drop everything, orders be damned. Kakashi had planted a seed of doubt in her mind, a sense that, unless she acted quickly, she would lose Sasuke to his hatred.
"Now you're talking! All you can eat! Bring it oooooon!"
Startled by the loud and, well, weird shout, Tsukiko leaned forward on the railing, craning her neck to see who had spoken. A boy from Asuma's team, the one who'd been snacking this whole time.
'Asuma must've said something to fire him up like that.' In all honesty, Tsukiko was interested to see him fight as well. There had been so many unique abilities displayed today, and it was making her antsy, like she needed to train as well.
Flexing her fingers, Tsukiko crossed her arms to stop her fidgeting, but found that she couldn't keep still. Something was making her senses go on high alert, but it was difficult to pinpoint. She was already so stressed, that it could've been any number of things.
Naruto walked over to her side, leaving the group. "Hey, you're some kind of special Proctor, right?"
Tsukiko watched him cautiously. "Yes, I am." He'd been instructed to act as if he didn't know her, but Naruto wasn't exactly known for following directions.
"Can't you do something to make sure I fight Neji in the third exam?" The boy was deadly serious as he clenched his fist. "I have to beat him, for Hinata!"
Tsukiko smiled at his earnestness. "Unfortunately, that would be cheating. But—" she continued, seeing his expression fall. "I'll have a word with Hayate about it. They usually design these things to show off the genin as much as possible. It's not random, like these." She gestured to the computer. "The proctors will make a point of pairing certain people together, so it's not impossible that you'd be paired with Neji in the beginning."
He nodded crossing his arms. "Yeah, okay. I guess that makes sense."
Movement from across the arena caught her attention. Kankuro, the puppet user from the Sand, was making his way toward her. But more importantly, it brought her instincts back to what she'd been sensing.
'Bloodlust.' That's what was making her edgy. The red-haired ninja was practically radiating with it, though he seemed calm enough. No wonder his teammate was leaving. He probably needed a breather, being so close to that level of hidden anger.
"Yo!" He called, his voice cheery as he made his way up the steps. "How come you're all by yourself?"
Tsukiko raised an eyebrow. He was clearly talking to Naruto, who was standing right next to her. Not exactly alone.
"Why aren't you hanging with your buddies?"
'Ah,' Tsukiko hid a grin as she casually stepped back. 'He picked Naruto out because he was talking to me. Trying to learn something, are we?'
"What's is to you?" Naruto said grumpily. "I was just talking to Tsukiko-Sensei."
On cue, Kankuro's friendly attitude was directed at her. "Right, you're one of the proctors."
"I am," Tsukiko replied, smiling. "Can I help you with anything? Naruto was asking about how the third exam chooses it's matches, if you're curious."
Caught off-guard by her open admission, the Sand genin stumbled over himself for a moment. "Ah, well, I think Baki-Sensei had a question for you. He was confused as to why there was a special proctor in the first place."
"I see." Tsukiko nodded, keeping her bright smile. "Well, I don't want to be rude, so I'd better answer him myself."
'Plus, I'm very curious as to why you want Naruto alone.' He'd probably singled Naruto out as a hothead and was going to try to get some information out of him. What exactly that was, Tsukiko was very interested in.
"Right. Good thinking." Kankuro seemed surprised, but pleased that she'd gone along with what he'd obviously been hoping for.
Obligingly, Tsukiko used her Body Flicker technique to disappear and reappear on the opposite catwalk. As expected, the bloodlust was nearly tangible. Not pleasant, to say the least.
Forcing her smile to stay put, Tsukiko made her way to the Sand shinobi, who seemed mildly surprised at her appearance.
"Kankuro said you had a question for me?" She asked the sensei, a man with half his face covered by a hanging piece of cloth.
To his credit, there was no hesitation in his reply. "Yes, I was wondering what exactly your job is. Apparently you've been at all the exams so far, and have been introduced as a special proctor. The Leaf has never had that position before, so I was curious as to the change." While not exactly friendly, the stern man was at least polite, though there was an underlying suspicion in his tone.
Tsukiko remained cheerful and friendly, her body language open and honest. "Well, despite how it looks, these exams were actually supposed to be quite a challenge. I was here to make sure there were no unnecessary deaths." She shrugged. "Seems like everything went better than expected, so I'm more of a spectator now. But," she paused, producing a clipboard with the genin files. "Lord Hokage did ask me to check that our files are correct. We have several prominent guests coming, and want to make sure the pamphlets have all the information you want printed."
She pointed at the other catwalk. "That's why I spent so much time mingling with the Leaf genin. We, obviously, have far more data on them than anyone else, so I wanted to get them out of the way. But, now that I'm here, might as well check the Sand and Sound."
Turning her head, she grinned brightly at the remaining Sound genin. "It seems I missed your sensei. Could you do me a favor and tell him that I'd like a word the next time you see him? There are several things I'd love to talk about."
The Sound genin, a boy wrapped in bandages with a furry thing on his back, nodded slowly, slightly disturbed by something in the smiling woman's voice. He'd somehow got the sense that he'd been threatened, but the woman showed no sign of malice as she turned back to the Sand.
"I just need you to verify that these are correct, and let me know if there is any additional information you'd like to be added about your genin." She handed the three forms to the Sand jounin, and turned to the genin.
The girl, Temari, was watching her with suspicion, while the red-haired boy ignored her completely.
"Congrats on breaking the record for the Second Exam," Tsukiko offered as an icebreaker.
"Thanks," Temari said shortly.
Tsukiko grinned and shrugged, not at all put out.
From down in the arena, Hayate spoke up, having seen to it that any blood was cleared away. "Now then, we'll continue the competition."
The screen flickered, flashing through the remaining names.
"ROCK LEE VS GAARA"
Instantly, almost before the screen had picked his opponent, the red-haired boy, Gaara, was swept up in a tornado of sand. Tsukiko shielded her eyes instinctively from the tiny grains as they lifted the boy and brought him down to the arena. He glared up at the catwalk where the Leaf genin stood.
"Well, come on," his raspy voice said impatiently. "Let's do this."
"YEAAAAAAAH!" The boy on Asuma's team shouted. "Safe again!" He threw his arms out like an umpire. His teammates immediately started lecturing them.
Lee, meanwhile, was punching and kicking the air, obviously fired up. Guy leaned down to tell him something, and then had to stop him from writing it down.
"Oh, boy," Tsukiko sighed. "Those two." She was slightly disappointed that she was on the wrong side for this match, but perhaps it was better. She could gauge the Sand and Sound based on their reactions to this fight.
Guy gave Lee a thumbs up, and the Leaf genin leapt off the catwalk, landing lightly about twenty feet away from his opponent.
"I knew that sooner or later, we would have to meet," he said, taking his stance. "I am glad it is sooner."
"So, do you think Gaara will be a match for Lee?" Tsukiko asked casually, making a note on her board. "He's quite talented, you know."
Temari put her hands on her hips. "He's fast alright, but his kick isn't that great. There's no way Gaara will lose."
Tsukiko raised an eyebrow at the girl's insolent tone. "I see."
The cork of Gaara's gourd shot off, but Lee caught it easily. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Gaara said nothing, but his bloodlust was answer enough.
"All right then," Hayate raised his arm. "If you are both ready, begin." He flicked his hand downward.
Lee shot forward, his initial Leaf Hurricane kick blocked by a wall of sand that erupted from the gourd. He had to backflip out of range as the sand grabbed for him, skidding to a halt.
"Fascinating…" Tsukiko murmured. "He can control it so easily." She actually felt a flicker of jealousy, but it was lost in how impressed she was that this boy could wield the sand without moving a finger.
The Leaf genin moved quickly, kicking and striking at Gaara, but the Sand blocked his every move. Even using a kunai, Lee couldn't get close. And when the sand went on the attack, he was forced to retreat or be crushed.
"He's not controlling it," Temari corrected smugly. "The sand is protecting him on its own."
"What do you mean?" Tsukiko questioned, glancing back down at the fight.
"The sand is almost living. It automatically comes to Gaara's defense without him doing anything. Never in his life has he been injured, and he never will be."
Baki gave Temari a warning look, but she brushed it off.
"No one can even touch him."
Tsukiko frowned, troubled. 'That's actually really sad,' she thought, her eyes following Lee as he raced around, trying to find an opening. 'If he's never been hurt, or even touched, then he probably has no sense of pain, which probably stunted him emotionally.' Landing back on Gaara, her gaze softened. 'Poor kid.'
"Well, is that all?" Gaara's voice, somehow loud despite its soft quality, was full of impatience. "I hope you haven't finished entertaining me. We haven't had enough blood."
With that terrifying statement, his sand latched onto Lee's leg and sent him flying into a wall. Lee dodged the next attack, and returned to attacking the sand around Gaara head-on.
'Why isn't he using—' Tsukiko's eyes widened, and she remembered a conversation she had with Guy a little over a year ago, when she was expressing her frustration at not being a sensei, and he made her laugh with stories of one of his pupils, one who could only use Taijutsu.
'Was that...Lee?' It made sense. Guy had spoken of his pupil with almost fatherly pride as he bragged about the boy's accomplishments, and it was obvious that Lee admired the older male with every fiber of his being.
Reabsorbing this knowledge, Tsukiko was returned to the fight by the sight of Lee flying through the air, landing atop the statue of two hands clasped together.
"All right, Lee!" Guy shouted to get his attention. "Take 'em off!"
"Uh, but Guy-Sensei, you said that was only as a last resort, when the lives of very important people were at stake!"
"That's right, I did!" Guy gave him a thumbs-up. "But this is an exception."
Lee's whole face lit up. "Really? Really?!" He sat down and pulled down his bright orange leg warmers, revealing—
"Leg weights?" Tsukiko wondered aloud. 'That's a little old school…'
The Leaf genin stood, a set of weights in each hand. "Ah! That is better!" He exclaimed. "Now I will be able to move freely!" He dropped them.
"Come on," Temari muttered, scoffing. "You really think you'll be able to get through Gaara's defenses just by dropping a couple of pounds of weight?"
BOOM!
The floor of the arena exploded with a sound like thunder, the force of the weights falling sending up dust and rubble around where they landed.
Tsukiko facepalmed while the people next to her and across the catwalk let out shocked exclamations. "Really, Guy?" She sighed, rubbing her temples. "You are ridiculous sometimes."
Across the arena, she saw Masuko practically bouncing with excitement. "Hell yeah! That's it! Girls, we're getting ankle weights first thing tomorrow!"
The younger woman sighed again.
"All right, now go!" Guy ordered.
"Yes sir!"
Lee bounced forward so fast, he was just a green blur. His fist slammed through the sand surrounding Gaara, not hitting him, but breaking through.
Gaara turned, his "arms crossed pose" broken for the first time in this fight. Surprise was written all over his face as he flinched away from the fist.
But just as soon as that blow missed, Lee was kicking and punching all around the Sand genin, his movements just barely deflected by the sand each time.
Gaara could barely keep up, his eyes and head moving to watch Lee's movements. Lee took advantage of this and leapt up, bringing his heel down to slam into the red-haired boy's head.
"I don't believe it!" Temari exclaimed, gripping the railing. "Gaara's been hurt!"
"Careful, Lee!" Chiyo's voice was concerned as she watched Gaara raise his head, a dark scratch visible. "He'll get more and more dangerous the angrier he gets!"
Tsukiko's attention diverted to her student, noticing that she was watching Gaara closely, her expression worried. Masuko leaned over and said something, but she just smiled and brushed it away, her eyes not leaving the fight.
"Yes, Lee! Let the power of youth explode!" Guy's overdramatic praise lit a fire in the young shinobi, and his eyes filled with determination.
"Rrrrrrrrrright!"
He charged again.
Gaara stepped back, pulling his arm up sharply to direct the sand, but it was no good. Lee seemed to be everywhere at once, and his fist connected soundly with his opponent's cheek, sending him flying into the floor.
"Wow!" Tsukiko couldn't help but be impressed. "I've never seen anyone that young attain that level of speed."
The Sand genin slowly picked himself off the ground, his breathing heavy. More sand poured out of his gourd as he stood, his head shadowed.
"Look out, Lee!" Chiyo shouted.
Tsukiko immediately saw what she did. Gaara's bowed face had a steady stream of sand coming from it. When he slowly raised his head, there on his face was a grimace of pure bloodlust, promising a painful end. And more alarmingly, sand over most of his face, cracking and falling apart.
"Armor...made of sand?" Tsukiko questioned, surprised. "So then that cut was actually a crack in his defense, eh?"
Sand swirled around his features, reforming the armor that in turn took on the physical look of his skin, melding seamlessly to his body.
"Well, now," Tsukiko mused, crossing her arms. "That, unlike the sand around him, has to be controlled by chakra. Unless he's built up a reserve, this is going to quickly take its toll, right?"
Baki and Temari glanced at her suspiciously. "What makes you say that?" She challenged.
Tsukiko shrugged. "Call it intuition. Point being, he must be feeling the pressure. There's no way he's had that armor on this whole time."
'Or, call it having worked with someone who also uses an armored technique.'
Speaking of which, Masuko was watching the fight with a predator-like intensity, her hand on her chin. Chiyo was leaning over the rails, a look of awe switching with concern, and Midori was watching through her fingers.
"It doesn't matter," Temari dismissed, her smile smug. "It may not be as easy as we thought, but the outcome's a given. Gaara can't lose."
"Oh?" Tsukiko cocked her head.
"Well, is that all?" Gaara challenged, his arms crossing again.
Lee took a deep breath, then unwound a length of bandage from both arms. "Get ready," he warned, charging forward.
At the last second, he turned, and started literally running circles around Gaara, his speed creating the beginnings of a tornado.
Without warning, he was in front of the Sand genin, a powerful front kick to the chin launching him into the air and cracking his armor again.
Then, using his momentum, Lee used his hands to push himself off the ground and deal consecutive kicks to Gaara's chest and stomach. Sand followed them upwards, but far too slow.
'Amazing!' Tsukiko thought, her eyes widening. 'Taijutsu this complex puts him far above a chunin. But, does he know his own limits?' Physical strain on the body notwithstanding, a miscalculation on Lee's part could overwork his muscles and send him to the hospital.
Aware that he needed to end the fight quickly, Lee's bandages wrapped around Gaara like a mummy, and Lee grabbed hold of him to send him slamming back into the ground headfirst.
"Now, take this! Primary Lotus!"
The two hit the dirt, spinning like a top and slammed into the arena floor with the force of a small explosion.
Lee landed lightly next to the crater, relatively unharmed, but out of breath. Gaara's body laid there in the center of the rubble, motionless.
"Uh oh!" Tsukiko appeared down in the ring, next to Hayate. "Crap, is he dead?" Her one and only job was to make sure that didn't happen, but there had been little warning. It was very likely he'd survived, but if the boy had never felt pain before, then it was also possible that his mind and body simply shut down. That is, if he was actually hit.
Hayate at her side, Tsukiko leaned over his body. Her sharp eyes narrowed. "Wait…"
Further cracks appeared in the body, sand falling away to prove that the shell was empty, having taken all the damage for its host.
'Thought so.' Tsukiko smiled grimly. 'There was a moment, right before they spun, where Lee closed his eyes from the pain that comes with using the forbidden Lotus techniques. Right then, Gaara substituted his real body with his armor.'
The sand behind Lee moved, revealing the real Gaara. Tsukiko took this as a sign to get out of the way, and reappeared on the catwalk next to Guy and her team. Hayate also made himself scarce as Gaara launched his counter-attack.
Pillars of sand slammed into Lee, and there was little he could do to dodge. A rush of sand slammed him into the back wall, the pillars returning to strike at him like snakes while the battered genin kept his arms locked in front of his face to protect it.
"Any more of this, and I'll have to step in," Tsukiko murmured to the black-haired man beside her, her voice sympathetic.
"I don't get it!" Sakura exclaimed worriedly. "What's Lee doing just standing there? With his speed, he should easily be able to get out of the way of those blasts. Why doesn't he dodge them?!"
"For a very simple reason," Guy answered, frowning. "He can't dodge them."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"The Lotus is what you might call a double-edged sword," Kakashi explained. "You know that it's a Forbidden Technique. Why do you think that is?"
Midori spoke up. "Because of the strain it puts on him." She bit her thumbnail, watching Lee closely. "From the way he's moving, I can tell that his arms and legs are really hurting him. But most of Gaara's attacks are aimed at Lee's torso, so that's not it. So it has to be his own technique that caused the damage."
"Very good," Kakashi praised, nodding his head. "The Lotus isn't Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. It's Taijutsu requiring extreme physical effort. The strain it puts on the body is unimaginable. No one can sustain it for long. Right now, Lee is in so much pain, he can hardly move at all."
Masuko leaned forward, one hand gripping the railing, the other on her hip. "Lee took a gamble, trying to end this battle quickly by overwhelming his opponent. And now he's paying the price."
Tsukiko nodded, crossing her arms. "In a way, Gaara was the worst person for Lee to face. His Taijutsu-powered offense doesn't do much against defensive techniques that strong. Not that I blame him. It's insane to find someone like that here. Any other opponent would've been crushed long ago."
Down in the arena, Lee finally found a break in the sand, diving out of the way. He barely managed to stay on his feet, maintaining his defensive pose as the sand struck again and again, Gaara smiling wickedly the whole time.
"Maybe...he should give up," Midori offered weakly as Lee was once again thrown across the arena. "I mean, at this rate…" She trailed off.
A few feet away, Kankuro spoke up. "I pity the kid. Gaara will just toy with him until he begs for mercy."
"Well, then, Gaara's in for a long match, because that will never happen," Guy countered sharply.
Naruto cocked his head. "Huh?"
"Lee doesn't know how to give up." The dark-haired jounin nodded to the fight, his expression serious. "Lee will struggle on long after the point where anyone else would have quit."
Chiyo smiled, shaking her head. "You have to admire that kind of effort." Her smile faded slightly. "I wish I was that dedicated. Maybe then, things would've been different."
"Chiyo?" Tsukiko placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Her expression brightened immediately. "Of course, Tsukiko-Sensei! I just got a little lost in memories. Anyway," she gestured to Gaara, her voice lowering. "Did you get any info on him from his sensei? If I have to fight him, I'd like to learn everything I can about his moves, and if he has any other tricks up his sleeve."
The white-haired jounin shook her head. "Sorry, Chiyo, but they're a tight-lipped bunch in the Sand. But, your best bet is to match him in defense and create a powerful offensive strategy."
Masuko nodded. "We'll work on your chakra armor after this, and I'll show you girls some elemental Ninjutsu."
"I agree." Tsukiko crossed her arms. "If either of you end up fighting either of those boys, you need to be prepared. As you've seen, a strong defense works against Lee as well as Gaara. And it's about time you learned your chakra natures anyway."
"I'm a Water and Earth type," Masuko grinned pointing to herself. "And there are plenty of Fire and Lightning types around to help teach you, if that's your style." She paused. "Wind might be a little tricky, out here in the Leaf, but I'm sure we can find someone."
Chiyo clenched her fists, looking back at the fight. "Hell yeah, I'm ready to go!"
Tsukiko glared at Masuko. "What exactly have you been teaching them while I was gone?!"
Down below, Lee seemed to get his second wind. His stance got a lot stronger, and he dodged several of Gaara's attacks.
"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, gripping the railing as he leaned most of his body over the edge. "He can still move like that?!"
The young Leaf shinobi grinned, getting faster with every movement.
"Lee's smiling!" Sakura said in disbelief. "He's running for his life, but he's still smiling!"
Guy smiled proudly, one hand on his hip. "Yes. Now it's Gaara's turn to run." He turned to the rest of the group, his teeth sparkling. "The Lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice."
"I've heard that somewhere before!" Sakura's eyes widened. "Lee told me that, back in the Forest!"
Kakashi frowned. "But—" His eyes widened. "No, Guy, you didn't…"
"Yes, Kakashi, I did." Guy met his gaze calmly.
The silver-haired male narrowed his visible eye. "So that genin, that boy, is able to open the Eight Inner Gates and use the Hidden Lotus?"
Tsukiko's eyes widened, and she turned to Guy incredulously. "Is that true?!"
"Yes," The older male confirmed, his face giving away nothing. "He can use the Hidden Lotus."
Kakashi sighed heavily, irritation evident. "Well if that isn't the most—" With visible effort, he stopped himself from lecturing his friend. "Okay, fine. So how many of the Inner Gates is he able to open now?"
Guy hesitated a moment. "Five Gates."
"Are you sure it was wise to teach him something so dangerous?" Tsukiko struggled to keep her own temper down, knowing that, as a child, she would have jumped at the chance to learn a technique like the Hidden Lotus, dangerous or not.
"Hold on," Midori interrupted, holding up her hand. "What exactly are the Eight Inner Gates? I remember my father mentioning them once, but I didn't understand."
"The Eight Gates are like valves, or chakra limiters that must be opened if one is to release the Hidden Lotus," Guy explained.
Sakura shook her head. "I'm still not following."
Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan. "There are Gates along the chakra network, located at those points in the body where the chakra is most heavily concentrated. Starting at the head, they are the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Rest, of Life, of Pain, of Closing, of Joy, of Shock, and the Gate of Death. These are what are called the Eight Inner Gates. Their purpose is to limit the flow of chakra through the body. But the Lotus exerts tremendous pressure on these limiters, eventually forcing the Gates open. This releases the restraints on the chakra, the result being that a person's strength can be increased tenfold or more."
"The Primary Lotus opens only the First Gate—the Gate of Opening," Guy said, picking up where Kakashi left off. "This releases the brain's restraints on the muscles, freeing a person to bring forth their body strength to its full extent. You'll see results, I guarantee."
"So that was when Lee slammed Gaara's shell into the ground," Chiyo observed. "What about the Hidden Lotus?"
"At the Second Gate, the Gate of Rest, one's strength is increased further. And at the Third Gate, the Gate of Life, one enters the Hidden Lotus."
"Wait a minute!" Sakura objected. "Just the Primary Lotus almost destroyed him! He could barely move. What's going to happen to him if he takes it further?"
"Exactly." Kakashi said simply, his disapproval flaring again. "By opening all Eight Gates, you could attain power beyond even the Hokages. The only drawback is...you die."
The genin gasped, and Kakashi glared at Guy, his tone cold. "I don't know what this boy means to you, Guy, but I shouldn't have to tell you that we never bring our personal feelings into play. I wouldn't have thought you were capable of this."
"You have no right," Guy snapped, glaring back at Kakashi. "You know nothing about him. Nothing at all!"
"But Guy," Tsukiko tried to mediate. "Surely you see the problem? To teach a genin something like that, with the promise of power beyond their dreams, is foolish. They haven't seen enough, they don't know what it is to appreciate life enough to have caution and control over themselves."
"That boy has something important to prove," Guy insisted. "And he's determined to prove it, even at the cost of his life."
"But as his sensei, it is important for you to teach him that his life is valuable, that it is just as important to know when to live to fight another day!" Tsukiko crossed her arms, her expression filled with intensity.
"A fair argument, Tsukiko, but I am determined to help him reach his goal. Not for his own sake, but because that goal is worth reaching."
Tsukiko opened her mouth to argue, but was distracted by the massive chakra surge in the arena.
"I don't know what you think you're planning right now," Gaara growled. "But this match is over for you."
"You are right." Lee's chakra shot even higher, the air around him speeding up in response to his energy. "It is over. One way or another." He paused, his face shadowed by his crossed arm block. "I am not going to be the only one to lose here. Guy-Sensei...please let this work! It is now, or never!"
Tangible chakra rose around him in blue waves as he jerked his arms down, revealing that his skin had turned red, and his pupils had all but vanished. The wind blew his hair straight up as he shouted. "The Third Gate, Gate of Life, open!"
Now green energy intermingled with the blue, and Lee took his fighting stance.
"What's happening?!" Kankuro shouted, shielding his eyes.
"He's opened the Third Gate, the Gate of Life," Kakashi explained. "Now he'll attack."
"Oh, no," Guy interrupted. "Not yet."
"Hm?"
Lee bent forward, widening his stance. "The Fourth Gate...Gate of Pain...Open!" An attack cry left his mouth as the energy started to eat away at the arena floor.
"Incredible," Kakashi said incredulously, his Sharingan fixed on Lee's shaking form. "No one can do that through sheer effort alone. The boy's truly a genius."
Tsukiko shook her head in disbelief. "What's with today's youth? I need to keep up with my training, or the genin will surpass me."
"No kidding," Masuko muttered, her eyes huge.
To say Lee shot forward would be a grievous understatement. He exploded from his spot, his feet cracking the floor and sending up rubble with each step. The force he used to slam his foot into Gaara's chin sent shock waves through the arena and up to the catwalks.
"Whoa!" Tsukiko blocked her eyes, squinting.
"He's faster than ever!" Kakashi shouted to her right.
"Where'd they...go?!" Naruto asked, looking around.
"Up there!" Shikamaru pointed to where Gaara's body was in the air, nearly hitting the ceiling. His sand followed, too slow to protect him while his armor cracked away.
Lee, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. At least, not to the experienced eyes of the genin, who missed the rushes in the air that signaled the Leaf boy's location. All they heard was his voice. "Hiding behind that sand armor again, eh? Well, we will see about that!"
He appeared above Gaara, elbowing his stomach. And then underneath, kicking him back up. Again and again, Lee slammed the red-haired ninja around like a ball, leaving his opponent no chance to counter or defend.
"You are a tough one!" Lee called, his voice strained. "Try this!" His fist contorted, the muscles tearing apart under the force.
Tsukiko watched with bated breath, her eyes gold so she could read the air currents and keep up. She wasn't the only one. Kakashi's Sharingan was following Lee closely, as was Neji's Byakugan.
"One more time, and we are finished! The Fifth Gate, Gate of Closing, open!"
Lee's fist slammed into Gaara's stomach so fast, Tsukiko nearly missed it. His hand closed around the Sand genin's sash, even as the sand came up around Lee's back, unable to protect its master.
With a sharp pull of the sash, Gaara was pulled into Lee's fist and foot, which came down to meet him with devastating force.
"HIDDEN LOTUS!"
The shockwave of the blow created a new crater. Gaara fell, his gourd cracking and turning into sand as he hit the floor.
"What the hell?!" Masuko growled, blocking her eyes from ensuing debris. "Does that kid bleed sand too?!"
The dark-haired genin landed, falling over and rolling out of danger. He was back to normal, the red of his skin replaced with a relieved grin.
"He did it!" Naruto shouted.
"Hang on," Chiyo said, squinting through the dust. "His sand is still moving!"
The smoke began to clear, allowing everyone to see the truth.
The sand that made up Gaara's gourd acted as a cushion, taking most of the blow and likely saving the boy's life. He lay motionless for a moment, his breathing strangled and heavy, before slowly raising his hand, eyes locked on Lee.
The young Leaf ninja sat up, breathing equally strained. He tried to crawl away as a hand made of sand reached for him. Getting to his feet only to fall over, Lee was unable to get away before the sand enveloped his left arm and leg.
"Sand Coffin!" Gaara closed his outstretched hand, making a fist.
A terrible crunching noise echoed through the arena, followed by Lee's cry of pain as his bones were shattered. He fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious.
But Gaara didn't stop. The sand rose in a wave around Lee, threatening to envelop his entire body and kill him.
'Time to step in!'
"Now you die!" Gaara growled.
Tsukiko moved, but something flashed past her in a blur of green, slamming into and dissipating the sand.
Guy.
He stood protectively in front of Lee, glaring at Gaara. Guy's eyes were filled with determination and anger, which seemed to shock the red-haired boy.
Gaara stared back, looking surprisingly vulnerable, before he grabbed at his head, seemingly in pain. "But why?" He asked, his voice somehow smaller than it had already been. "He failed. Why save him?"
Tsukiko's breath caught, anger and sympathy colliding in her chest. Those few sentences revealed quite a bit about what the Village Hidden in the Sand was teaching its young shinobi.
Guy didn't flinch, nor did he hesitate. "Because he is my student. And also because he is precious to me."
Surprise and confusion flickered across the Sand genin's face as he stood, reforming his gourd. Gaara watched Guy a moment longer, before turning his back and walking to the catwalk stairs. "I quit."
"What?" Sakura frowned. "He quits?"
"But it's too late for Lee," Kakashi said quietly. "He lost the match the minute Guy intervened."
Tsukiko traded glances with Hayate, and nodded. The coughing ninja raised his hand, voice firm. "The winner is—huh?"
Gasps echoed at the sight of Lee, who'd managed to get to his feet, albeit shakily. Blood ran down his destroyed arm and leg, but his other hand remained in a fighting stance.
"It can't be!" Guy's shocked exclamation have voice to what everyone was thinking. Even Gaara paused, turning back to face his opponent with an air of incredulity.
"Lee?" Tsukiko cocked her head, trying to get the boy's attention. His head was down, the effort required to lift it beyond his capabilities. "I'm sorry, but the match is over."
His teacher turned to him, grabbing the young ninja's shoulders. "No, Lee. It's all right. It's all over now. Anyway, you're in no condition to—" Guy broke off, his eyes widening. "Lee?" Tears appeared in the older man's eyes, and his voice broke as they streamed down his face. "Oh, Lee. What have I done?"
"What's wrong?!" Midori landed next to Tsukiko, Chiyo on her heels. "I can help! Is he—"
She broke off, falling silent when she saw Lee's blank face.
"Look at you," Guy's voice was a strange mixture of sorrow and pride. "Not even conscious, and still determined to show the world what you can do."
Tsukiko shook her head, smiling wryly. 'What incredible willpower, to keep him standing long after his mind has faded to black. We need more people in the world like this one.'
"Lee, you've already proven it," Guy whispered, tears wetting the broken floor. He hugged the young boy, his voice shaking. "You are a splendid ninja."
"Tsukiko-Sensei…" Midori began, looking lost. "Is there anything I can do?"
The older woman placed a hand on the blond girl's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Midori, but there's nothing you can do for him now," Tsukiko said gently. "Go back up to Masuko, and don't let this get you down. Lee fought with everything he had, which is something to be celebrated, even if he didn't win."
Hayate sighed, but there was nothing to be done. "The winner is Gaara," he announced, gesturing everyone to clear the area.
Midori nodded and turned away, but Chiyo didn't move, her attention fixed on the red-haired Sand ninja.
Gaara showed no sign of having heard Hayate's announcement, his eyes locked on Guy as he laid Lee down on the ground. Anger and pain played out across his features, before he turned away, eyes troubled.
"You know, you're not a monster," Chiyo called out after him.
He froze, his back going stiff, before turning his head to shoot her a dark glare. "Shut up."
She met his gaze evenly. "The real monsters try to act like they're not, like they're doing something good when in the end, they're just hurting people."
That vulnerable expression reappeared briefly, a crack in the emotional armor that surrounded the boy even tighter than his sand. Then his gaze returned to that blank, troubled expression, and he walked away.
Tsukiko frowned, watching Chiyo carefully as the young girl walked past, not making eye contact with her sensei.
'There's something going on with her. Something she doesn't want to tell us.' Tsukiko caught Masuko's eye, her frown mirrored by her friend. It was Chiyo's right to keep her own counsel, but if possible, they'd like to be able to help her. If Chiyo never opened up about her problems, there would never be a solution. But she was private, as energetic and happy as she seemed, never sharing too much about herself, even to Midori, her best friend.
'Chiyo...I want you to trust us, the way we trust you. None of us would ever hurt you…'
These words on her lips, Tsukiko said nothing, unable to do anything that would blow her cover. So instead, she watched her student's retreating back, praying that one day, that girl would finally open herself up to someone.
THEN:
Tsukiko shook her head in annoyance as she watched the man before them. He'd been waving his kunai up at the sky for a while now, frantically trying to attack an unseen enemy.
Finally, Itachi placed a gentle hand on the man's back. "Are you done yet?"
The man's shoulders shot up, as though Itachi's voice had awakened him from a dream, and he whirled around.
"The thing you've been trying so desperately to cut in half is my Genjutsu."
"Wh-What…?" The unfamiliar word didn't seem to register with the man, whose face grew pale at the sight of two ninjas facing him.
Though sympathetic, Itachi's voice was stern. "Do you want to have the dream again?" Both of his eyes were a deep red.
Tsukiko allowed her eyes to turn red as well, glaring at the man with barely withheld irritation for this stupid mission.
"Ee! Eee!" The man dropped his kunai and cowered the moment he saw the Sharingan. "H-Have mercy!" He begged, tears streaming down his face.
Both children's eyes turned black again.
"Itachi! Tsukiko!" A voice called from behind. Yuki-sensei. Two ninja trailed along behind him. The new additions to Team Two.
Tenma's death forced Shinko to confront the reality of the callous nature of the ninja world, breaking her spirit. So she resigned as a ninja, and now worked in a tea shop in the village.
The new ninja had both graduated from the academy that year. They had been ahead of the two children at school, but as ninja, both Tsukiko and Itachi had a year's seniority on them. They were also one of the two reasons for Tsukiko's bad mood.
"Did you catch him?" Yuki asked.
"Mm." Itachi turned his gaze back to the man quailing on the ground, missing Tsukiko's curt nod.
Their "teacher" (a laughable title at this point) came over to stand in front of the man, the two new recruits behind him looking relieved. "You can't sneak into the village and misrepresent your history just because you want to be a ninja, you know. That's not how people become ninja."
"I-I'm sorry."
"By the way, these two kids are only nine. We have kids like this all over the place; that's the world of the ninja."
The man opened his eyes wide in surprise.
A resident of the Land of Fire had slipped into the village, with the intention of becoming a ninja. They were to secure the man, and put the fear of the shinobi in him. That was their current mission. Of course, it was the lowest mission rank, a D. But it was the right level for the two newcomers, so that was how it had to be. Naturally, however, Tsukiko and Itachi were irritated by this.
It had been just over three months since they started doing nothing but D-rank missions, and Tsukiko felt a growing sense of urgency. Did she really have the time to be doing this sort of thing? And Itachi, he was really training himself to master the Sharingan through these sorts of missions? Ridiculous.
'Of course,' Tsukiko thought crossly. 'I could help him a lot faster if he would just use it on me.'
Ever since Itachi had gotten the Sharingan, he'd refused to use it against her, making the excuse that he didn't know how to control it and didn't want to hurt her. But now, after three months with Shisui, Itachi had attained a certain level of mastery that allowed him to wield the Sharingan effectively against his enemies. So why not against her?
"Way to go Itachi-Sensei! You too, Tsukiko-Sensei, as always!" The new girl, Himuka, called out cheerfully. Even though she was four years older, she insisted on calling the two children "sensei." She was a nice girl, but had a forgettable face and way of speaking that blended into the background, unless she was being annoying.
Like now. The whole "sensei" thing had been embarrassing and slightly flattering at the beginning, but had quickly gotten old as it became clear that Himuka had no intention of actually helping on any missions, preferring to gawk on the sidelines and congratulate them later. It was this inaction that meant she never improved, meaning they'd be stuck doing D-ranks.
As for the other recruit, Tsukiko much preferred him over Himuka, but only because she'd never actually heard him talk. His name was Yoji, and from the Aburame clan. That said, neither Itachi nor Tsukiko had seen him use the insect control that his family was so well-known for.
"Alright, let's head back to the village." Yuki's bright voice made Tsukiko's heart feel even heavier. Truthfully, it wasn't arrogance that made her want to leave this team, but rather, a sense that she could be doing so much more to help, if given the chance.
"Tsukiko!"
Hearing her name, the young girl looked up, smiling when she saw Izumi waiting for her at her house, a grumpy Sasuke beside her. He still hadn't warmed up to the girl, despite her coming over quite frequently to talk to Tsukiko.
It was odd, having a friend who wasn't also a training partner. Odder still was having a friend who wasn't also Itachi's friend. Like his younger brother, the older Uchiha wasn't overly fond of Izumi, though he was always polite to her. Still, Tsukiko always enjoyed the time they spent together, especially since Itachi was so busy training his Sharingan, and wouldn't let her help.
Itachi sighed. "So she's back." His voice was more resigned than irritated.
"Yes, because I asked her to," Tsukiko replied, her voice slightly sharper than she intended. "I'm sorry that you don't like her, but I need someone to spend time with while go do all your super secret Uchiha stuff."
A flash of guilt crossed his face. "I always tell you what happened at the meetings. Besides, it's not—"
"You know that's not what I'm talking about!" Marching away from a frozen Itachi, whom she'd never yelled at before, Tsukiko met a slightly concerned Izumi at the door.
"Tsukiko! Did you have a fun mission?" Sasuke, now four years old, delighted in chattering to his older brother and adoptive sister from the moment they got home to when he reluctantly went to sleep, curled between the two.
"Mhmm," Tsukiko nodded distractedly, answering Izumi's look with a forced smile. "Hi, Izumi. What do you want to do today?"
The pretty Uchiha girl glanced past her at Itachi, who was now slowly coming up the road. "Uh, well, Lady Mikoto had some errands, and asked if we'd watch Sasuke."
"Sure. Sounds good to me." Without looking back, she raised her voice slightly. "Itachi was going to go train with Shisui today anyway, so it's not like I'd have anything to do."
With her back to him, she couldn't see his face, but still felt him pause. Guilt threatened to make her turn around and apologize, but she held firm. If Itachi wasn't going to trust her to train with him, then it was his own fault.
Spinning around, she flashed a bright smile. "Come on, Sasuke! Let's go play!"
The little boy instantly beamed, and left his brother's side, where he'd been pulling at Itachi's sleeve and asking questions.
Scooping him up, she turned to Izumi. "Let's do some baking today! Lady Mikoto's been showing me how to make all sorts of stuff!"
Stunned by Tsukiko's shining smile, seemingly brightening the air around her with sparkles, Izumi nodded. "Sure, I'll be there in a minute."
Tsukiko nodded and, without another word or glance back, went into the house.
Slightly intimidated, Izumi risked a glance at the handsome Uchiha boy next her her. His head was lowered, but she could still see his sad smile.
"She hates me now."
"Huh?" Izumi glanced back and forth between the the doorway where her friend had gone and Itachi. "Who? Tsukiko? She seemed fine to me…"
His head lowered a little more. "I know it hurts her to not be included, but...I don't want her near it."
"Near what?" Now Izumi was totally confused.
Itachi seemed to realize where he was and what he was saying, because he looked up sharply and then relaxed seeing it was only Izumi. "Nothing. Forget it."
Izumi bit her lip. She'd admired Itachi for a really long time, and had wanted to get closer to him. But Tsukiko, the person she considered her best friend, was mad at him for some reason. And Tsukiko never got mad, not like this.
"Is it the Sharingan?"
Her quiet question made Itachi look up in surprise.
She smiled sadly. "I thought so. I have them too, you know, so I think I get it." Her hand unconsciously touched her cheek. "In order to awaken these eyes, you have to experience true pain and sadness. And after that, every time you use them, you can't help but remember that pain. It's almost like a curse."
Itachi's eyes tightened, and in that moment, he looked incredibly vulnerable.
"Itachi! Are you ready to—oh! Am I interrupting something?"
Shisui's playful teasing dropped when he saw Itachi's face. "Hey, are you alright?"
The younger boy turned away. "I'm fine. Let's go. Tsukiko's not coming."
He seemed to vanish before Izumi's eyes, and the young girl sighed heavily. Shisui cast her a questioning glance before he too vanished.
Izumi stood there a moment longer, before going inside. From within, she could hear Sasuke's laughter and the clanging of pot and pans.
Entering the kitchen, the young Uchiha's eyes widened at the sight of Tsukiko covered in flour, lecturing a laughing Sasuke and playfully threatening him with a spatula.
"Sasuke! That bowl of flour was for dangos! Not for my hair!"
"But Tsukiko, you can't even see it in your hair!"
She growled. "Oh, you think that's funny, huh? C'mere!" Tsukiko grabbed him in a hug, then shook her head, sending a cloud of white powder on the boy.
"No fair! No fair!" Sasuke shouted, twisting in her hold.
Unable to keep quiet, Izumi started giggling, startling the pair. "You...two...look so...funny!" She managed, unable to breathe.
Tsukiko and Sasuke shared a look, then both leapt at Izumi, getting her covered in flour as the pair latched on to her.
"Aaah!" She screamed, startled. "You guuuys!" Futilely, Izumi shook her hair. "It won't come out!"
The two culprits grinned, and all three children burst into laughter.
"Hah!" Expelling a deep breath, Shisui looked at Itachi and smiled. "Yeah, training with you really forces me to put my back into it."
Itachi looked at his cheerful friend with a half-hearted smile, completely drenched with sweat after their fight.
They had been sparring seriously for about two hours or so, after completing Itachi's Sharingan exercises. Shisui had suggested that they train a while longer today, as a way to vent Itachi's frustration with his assignments. They had already gone fifteen rounds, with breaks of about three minutes between each one. So far, Itachi had won six times, and Shisui, nine.
The only rule was no Sharingan, as it was dangerous for Itachi to overuse it while he was still trying to master it. Everything else, however, was fair game.
"You know that's not what I'm talking about!"
Itachi's jaw clenched as her words echoed in his ears once again, his hand reaching into his pouch to pull out a shuriken.
The weapons he and Shisui flung clashed in the air and then flew off in some random direction. Neither boy watched to see where they went. They were already leaping at each other, and closing the distance between themselves.
"Chi!"
"Hah!"
Their fighting cries blended together.
With a thud, their bodies collided in midair, tangled together, and crashed to the ground.
Shisui got to his feet and in position first, and launched a kick at Itachi, who was propped up on one knee. Itachi immediately thrusted his right arm out to block it. His field of view shaking with the impact of the kick, he saw his friend quickly weaving signs.
"Firestyle: Fireball Jutsu!" Shisui shouted, and an enormous ball of flames erupted from his mouth.
Itachi stared at the flames streaking toward him, a smile pulling up his lips at the corners.
'Just like Shisui.'
The sight of the fire was always thrilling to Itachi. He gloated to himself that even among the people of their clan, only his father and Shisui could release a fireball this massive. It should have infuriated him that he was unable to do the same, but pride for his friend and father always overshadowed any thoughts of inferiority.
Shisui wouldn't be able to manage a counterattack in time. His defense was slow too. Direct hit.
"No way!" The older boy cried out, surprised by the unexpected result.
The giant ball of flames ripped Itachi into countless pieces, which transformed into a myriad of crows that attacked all at once.
Substitution.
The real Itachi was running around behind Shisui.
Before Shisui could realize his mistake and whirl around, the smaller boy had a kunai at his throat.
"So you win, huh," Shisui said, regretfully.
In the end, they sparred thirty-five times. The result was eleven wins for Itachi and twenty-four for Shisui.
"You're beyond genin level already." Shisui took a swig of water from his canteen. "Your Chunin Exams being put off again this year?"
"Yeah," Itachi replied glumly, tilting his own canteen back to pour cool water into his mouth.
"You said your supervisor jounin was Yuki Minazuki or something, right?"
Itachi nodded silently.
"Is he maybe jealous of you and Tsukiko? Maybe he's not into what a genius you are, so he's putting off recommending you for the exams?"
"There's nothing I can do, even if that is what's going on with him." There was no point thinking about recommending Tsukiko or Itachi. They wouldn't get to take the Chunin Exams again this year. That was a fact.
"But I mean, the two of you are already so—"
"Let's just forget about it," Itachi said shortly. If they talked about it anymore, it would probably make his irritation toward his sensei stronger.
"Hmm," Shisui studied him. "So that's not it…"
Itachi tilted his head. "What?"
The older boy shrugged. "I'm trying to figure out why you've been in such a bad mood these last few days. Particularly today. You definitely should have won more than eleven out of thirty-five matches, and you were distracted all through Sharingan training."
Cheeks reddening, Itachi looked away irritably. "I'm fine."
"See, that's the thing." Shisui flicked a rock at him, grinning broadly. "I don't believe you." His eyes narrowed calculatingly. "If I had to guess what could be bothering you so much, I'd say it's something with Tsukiko? She hasn't been training with us lately, and you two used to be practically joined at the hip."
Itachi said nothing, but the older boy's keen eyes saw something that seemed to confirm his assumption.
"I see." He crossed his arms and nodded, leaning back against a tree. "Did you two have a lover's quarrel?"
"What?!" Forget his cheeks, his whole face was red now.
Shisui whistled. "It's usually hard to figure out what you're thinking, but I guess this topic makes it pretty easy."
Itachi averted his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know that's not what I'm talking about!"
The younger boy's slight wince did not go unnoticed. "Did she yell at you?"
Silence.
Shisui sighed. "She did, huh? And Tsukiko never yells at you. You must have done something special to make her so mad."
He was goading him, and Itachi knew it. Still, that didn't stop his fists from clenching and that hateful rage from erupting in his stomach.
Snapping his finger, Shisui pointed at him. "It's that girl, huh? Izumi, right? You like her, and Tsukiko got jealous."
All at once, Itachi's anger evaporated at the absurd concept, and his whole body relaxed. "I don't have any opinion on Izumi. She's Tsukiko's friend, that's all." Now he was able to speak clearly, and do his best to end Shisui's inquiries.
"But she seemed pretty chummy with you when I showed up at your house."
Itachi shrugged helplessly. "I don't know her feelings, only my own. I don't know her all that well." It was the truth, after all. Izumi was very pretty, and he'd of course noticed, but then again, so was Tsukiko.
He felt Shisui's critical gaze and shrugged again. "I don't know why Tsukiko's upset. Only that she doesn't want to train with me anymore, and prefers Izumi's company."
"That was...almost the truth, wasn't it?" Shisui asked discerningly as he sank to the ground, the picture of relaxation. He closed his eyes and leaned back, as if solving a complicated puzzle. "You're too observant to have missed jealousy, and what you said about Izumi sounds true enough, so maybe...you're the jealous one?" He opened one eye. "I didn't peg you for the type at first, but I can definitely see it when it comes to her. You are awfully overprotective of her, after all."
Back to the goading. But it wasn't going to work, because Itachi had a firm grip on his emotions now. "I'm not jealous," he said, sinking down to mimic Shisui's ease. "I'm happy that she has a new friend. Whatever makes her happy is fine with me."
Shisui clicked his tongue in irritation. "That also sounds like the truth. Alright, you're not jealous, and Tsukiko's not jealous, so why else would you be avoiding her?"
"I'm not."
"Of course you are," Shisui waved his response away. "Anyone could see that you didn't want to go home. That's why I suggested we spar; to give you more time away and to tire you out so I could interrogate you." He grinned evilly.
Itachi felt himself almost smile at that, and shook his head. "It's not important," he said stubbornly. "We just had a disagreement."
"That does sound more boring than what I expected," Shisui sighed. "My next guess was that you confessed to her and she rejected you."
Itachi shot to his feet, mortified. "Wha—Why would—How did you—" He was completely at a loss for words, and his face burned with embarrassment.
"Oh?" Shisui sat up, raising an eyebrow. "What a different reaction from when I suggested you liked Izumi."
Itachi glared at him fiercely, making the older boy chuckle.
"Don't laugh!"
Shisui held up his hands in surrender, his body shaking. "Sorry, sorry. I just never get to tease you." He took one more shaky breath before he calmed down. "So, an argument with the girl you like. Okay, tell me about it. Maybe I can help."
The younger boy said nothing, his fists clenching and unclenching with indecision.
Finally, Shisui sighed and patted the ground next to him. "Itachi, I really want to help. I consider you a little brother, and Tsukiko a little sister. If you two are fighting, then I want to do what I can to smooth things over so you two can go back to the way you were."
Itachi's hands fell limply at his sides, defeated, and his head bowed. "Can they?" He asked, his voice small. "Can things go back to normal, now that I have these?" His raised eyes were a deep red, two tomoe marks spinning.
Frowning, Shisui stood. "What do you mean? What's wrong with your Sharingan?"
"Nothing," Itachi replied honestly, unsure how to say what he felt, or if he even wanted to. Then Izumi's words floated into his head. "I just—I feel like the Uchihas are cursed."
The older boy froze, his face going dark. "How so?"
"Tenma was not my friend, or even someone I knew very well, but he was still my teammate. There was a bond. And when he died, my anger at being unable to help him is what awakened my Sharingan. Essentially, in my weakness, I traded his life for power." Now that the words were flowing, there was no way to stop them. "And I'm glad I awakened my eyes. I'm glad I have this power, and I want more. But...what will happen the next time I'm too weak? Whose life will I trade for power?"
Itachi clutched at his face. "It can't be Tsukiko. I can't let her get hurt because of me and my eyes. She wanted me to use them on her, to try to hurt her with the eyes our teammate died for. And I can't. I won't."
Shisui's hands came down hard on his shoulders, gripping tightly. "Have you been carrying this burden for the last three months?" He asked, his voice strained with anger.
Red eyes met red as Shisui shook him. "Why didn't you tell me you felt like this, Itachi?! Why didn't you tell me you were pushing her away because of your guilt?! Dammit, Itachi! You can't keep something like this inside you. It'll destroy you!"
Itachi's eyes widened. He'd never seen Shisui so upset, and it was...frightening.
Realization flashed in the older ninja's face, and he loosened his grip with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry," he said, rubbing his eyes. "It's just...Itachi, you can't do this to yourself." He smiled sadly. "You have to trust someone, ya know? We Uchiha are stained by our history, and the violence we hold inside. Our anger, our emotions, are our biggest strength and weakness. We summon immense power through pain, at the price of spreading it to others."
He looked at his hands. "Sometimes, when we're at those meetings, and that dark aura of hate is all around us, I can see the stain on my hands, the blood yet to be spilled. It haunts each of us, from the moment our Sharingan activate, and once we see it, we can never go back."
Itachi felt himself shake, the rolling emotions from Tenma's death returning. Shame, anger, self-hatred...his stain.
"I understand that you don't want Tsukiko to be stained as well," Shisui continued, taking a long shuddery breath. "That you feel too dirty to even touch her. And I'm sorry. You're only nine. Far too young to have to understand what even adults have trouble with, and way too young to be thinking about pushing away loved ones to protect them. But you do have those thoughts and feelings, so let me offer this advice."
Itachi was frozen, unable to look away as Shisui straightened, his red eyes fading to black.
"It's not your decision whether or not Tsukiko stays with you. And it's not just hers either. It's the two of you, together, that decide. You can't just push her away and hurt her because you're afraid. Maybe you will end up hurting her, but that possibility is better than what you're doing now. If you respect Tsukiko, you won't take away her agency. She gets to decide too. You need to tell her the truth, and apologize. She's not a fragile little doll. She's exceptional, just like you. Tsukiko has seen horrible things as well, and her eyes also came at a price. What if she feels the same? What if she thinks she sacrificed her family in order to activate her Gensogan? She could help you, Itachi. What you're doing is being selfish, and hurting her now so you don't hurt yourself later. Do you understand?"
Shame coiled tightly in his gut as he nodded, hot tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. 'Shisui's right. Of course he is. Tsukiko's biggest fear is that I'll leave her behind, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm hurting her now so there's no possibility she'll hurt me. Selfish.'
"I'm sorry," he croaked, self-hatred biting away at him.
And then he found himself pulled tightly against Shisui as the older ninja hugged him fiercely. "I know. You're a smart kid, so you would've figured it out eventually. But I want you to consider me a big brother, and sometimes big brothers have to hurt you to make you grow. I didn't want to make you feel bad, but you needed to wake up."
He smiled gently and pulled back. "You may not realize how important someone is until you lose them. Now, I know you're a little young to be thinking about this, but I want you to try. Does Tsukiko make you feel tainted, or ashamed?"
Moments flashed through his mind. Her belief in his dream at the academy, her saying that she didn't need anyone but him at her side, her lips against his cheek, her awe and happiness when his Sharingan awoke, and the warm feeling he'd got in his chest when he'd awoken from a horrible dream to find her curled up against him, whispering words of comfort. She hadn't realized he'd awoken, and only left his side when the early light of dawn peered through the window. She'd returned to her futon, and he'd been left with the realization that she'd been doing that every time he'd had a nightmare, never mentioning it, and a warm feeling in his chest that made him so happy he'd wanted to cry.
"No." His voice was firm. "She doesn't."
Shisui clapped his back. "Then it's time for the final lesson of the day. As tainted as we are, there is always someone out there with the ability to cleanse us. You're lucky that you found your someone, Itachi, so don't push her away."
Itachi nodded, wiping his eyes. He was embarrassed at having nearly cried in front of Shisui, but he felt lighter, as if a great weight was lifted off his chest. Now he knew what he needed to do, and finally having that knowledge felt like the solution to a problem he'd been fighting with for months.
"Alright," Shisui clapped his hands. "Enough moping around. I have the perfect idea about how to get Tsukiko to forget she was ever mad at you."
Humming lightly to herself, Tsukiko placed the last dango on a stick, smiling proudly at the plate. It had taken a lot of work, and several batches of flour, but she'd finally made a pretty tasty treat for herself and Sasuke. Of course, Sasuke was asleep, tired out from running around, and Izumi had left a bit ago, her mother calling her home.
'I should share with Itachi,' she thought, guilt rising again. She hated fighting with him, especially when she knew she was being too sensitive. But, it really felt like he was trying to leave her behind, and she knew that if she was abandoned again, she might never recover.
Still, Itachi hated fighting too. And he'd always been upfront, almost blunt, with his feelings. Hiding something like this was weird, and an indicator that whatever it was, it was tearing him up.
"And that is why I'll apologize," she sighed, looking at the food. "Because it's not his fault."
"Tsukikooooo!" Shisui's voice called from the front door, sounding strained. "Can you help? Itachi hurt himself."
"What?!" Dango forgotten, Tsukiko raced to the front entrance, her heart in her throat. A terrible fear snaked down her spine at the sight of Shisui carrying Itachi on his back.
But, then she realized that Itachi's expression wasn't one of pain, but rather, annoyance. Her heart, which was threatening to burst, began to slow.
At Tsukiko's expression, Itachi's face reddened, and he puffed up his cheek irritably. "Shisui, I'm fine. You didn't have to worry Tsukiko over nothing."
"What happened?" She asked, approaching more slowly.
Shisui laughed. "Well, this guy overdid it a little during Sharingan training, and his eyes were reading faster than he could move, so he sprained his ankle." He moved to set Itachi down, and the younger ninja winced as his weight briefly settled on his injured leg.
Instantly, Tsukiko was at his other side, taking his arm and wrapping it around her shoulder. "C'mon, let's go to the kitchen. I made dango!" She smiled at him, and Itachi felt the warm feeling return to his chest.
"Tsukiko...I'm sorry," he said, allowing her to help him walk. "I was being foolish, and I hurt you. I just didn't want to use my Sharingan on you, because I was afraid that I would make a mistake and hurt you. I…" he paused, his head lowered. "I don't think I'd ever forgive myself if that happened."
The white-haired girl felt her chest tightened, and she blinked away tears. "I'm sorry, too," she said softly. "I knew something was bothering you, and I was acting like a jerk." She smiled weakly. "I was just being selfish."
Shisui, having been forgotten up to this point, started clapping. "There we go! My two favorite genin are friends again!" He grinned. It had totally been worth sparring one last time against the younger boy, knowing that his Sharingan would cause him to act recklessly. And the rock he'd thrown at Itachi's leg certainly hadn't helped.
Itachi glared at him, not at all happy with the fact that he'd been hurt in order to manipulate Tsukiko. But, he should have known better than to overuse his eyes, and the telltale happiness on his face as the pretty white-haired girl fussed over him told Shisui all he needed to know.
'Itachi has it bad,' Shisui thought, leaning against the doorway as the two children headed to the kitchen, a gentle smile on his face. The smile faded slightly as he remembered that there was another meeting the next day that he'd yet to prep for. His eyes darkened with determination. Itachi wasn't ready for the darkness of the clan, but if things didn't change, there was a very good possibility of the village getting dragged into another war. One where Itachi and Tsukiko found themselves on opposing sides. And he couldn't allow that to happen.
'Don't worry, Itachi, Tsukiko. I'll think of something.'
A.N. All right, I hope you guys liked it! The fight took a long time to write, and was hard to differentiate. There's only so many ways I can write, "He kicked/punched and SAND!" But I think I covered the majority of the match well.
As for the flashback, it was almost a .5 chapter, but wasn't quite long enough. More importantly, it sets up events to come.
So, next time, the last match and the start of training! Chiyo's secrets will begin to come out, Tsukiko, Sasuke, and Kakashi will have to figure out a training strategy, aaaaaaaand, Tsukiko will begin her lightning practice anew!
Bye for now!