A.N. Hey! Look who's been motivated to write?! I'm excited, since we're getting so close to Shippuden. The plan is to follow the time skip and flash back to events that happened during that time. Let me know if you like Akihiro and where this is going!
NOW:
Akihiro Amaya studied the young woman for a long moment. Nodding his head at something he saw there, he brushed aside his own feelings and committed himself to helping her.
"Very well. Now, of the two remaining Uchiha, we must hope that one of them has the ability to wield Amaterasu."
"Amaterasu?" Tsukiko repeated, cocking her head.
"As I already mentioned, the most powerful form of Fire comes as a direct result of human ambition. And nothing is more ambitious or dangerous than an Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Tsukiko's eyes widened with painful understanding, trying to push away the mental images coming to mind. "They have to kill their best friend to attain that."
"Correct. As such, they are willing to sacrifice much in the name of their goals, and are rewarded with the ability to create Amaterasu, black fire."
Relief surged through her. "I've seen it! Itachi has used black fire before…" Digging through her bag, she produced the scroll sealing it away. "I have it in here. So all I need is this to help Sasuke?"
Akihiro was shaking his head before her sentence was completed. "You will need much more than what lies within that simple sealing scroll. And even before that, you must gain the ability to control it." Smiling at her to lift her spirits, he added, "But this is a fair start, far better than expected. I had doubted that an Uchiha with Mangekyo even existed today."
Gently taking the sealing scroll, he put it in his robes. "The first step, however, is wielding it. Can you control chakra Fire?"
Tsukiko nodded, eyes turning red with anticipation. "Yes."
"What is the hottest flame you've controlled?"
She paused. "What do you mean?"
The old man smiled. "Have you ever wielded a blue flame?"
Tapping her finger against the table, Tsukiko nodded. "For a moment. When my Kigen Gensogan was active, I mixed Fire and Lightning. But I don't think I can control that I'm my normal state."
He nodded, unsurprised. "Then we have much work to do. How can you think to control the black flames when you have no mastery over blue, purple, and white? This will be no easy task, but I think we can train you until you are ready."
Smoothly rising from the cushion, he gestured for Tsukiko to follow him. "Obviously, we will not play with Fire here, but I have an ideal location in mind."
Heart pounding with excitement, Tsukiko stood, every fiber of her being practically humming. 'Hang on, Sasuke. I'm coming!' This promise strong in her mind, she allowed herself a few precious moments of giddiness, of the old Tsukiko who was ecstatic to learn something new. It was a wonderful feeling indeed, to have something to work on.
It was a shame that even the few lighthearted moments in the young woman's life would not last much longer.
The woman watched carefully through the long-range binoculars, waiting for any sign of movement. Her green eyes scanned the distant forest, marking the spot where she was sure the shrine was located. Tongue clicking in annoyance at the distance, she mentally reviewed the moment she'd seen the damnable girl disappear without a trace hours ago.
"Must we wait this far back?" Her question was directed at the masked man sitting in the tree next to her, his white raccoon mask seemingly floating over the branches.
"Tsukiko Amaya has the ability to sense enemies up to a mile away in any direction with little strain. We would do well to keep out of that range." His words were clipped and emotionless, the mask as unmoving as it had been three hours ago when the man had arrived. "Lord Danzo wants no chance of her escaping."
"So you've said." Dr. Sojirou carefully shifted her position on the branch, managing not to disturb the birds' nest on the limb below her. "And Danzo still holds to our agreement? I thought he wanted her to return to the Leaf Village to avoid suspicion." Her sharp gaze, keen from digging and excavating various sights, picked up a small shift in her companion, the first sign of uneasiness.
"That was before the death of the Third Hokage," the man said simply.
If the doctor expected more, she didn't get it. That was the problem with these ninja-types. Too clever by far. They thought forty steps ahead, unprepared for a fallen tree on step three. The best plans were simple and direct, with a few variations in case of a change in factor. Multi-faceted schemes rarely paid off in her field.
"Well," she said finally. "As long as Danzo keeps his word about letting us take most of the artifacts." It was a seemingly generous deal. Find the shrine and give Danzo a few special items in return for the bulk of the hoard. The brat may have taken her maps, but Sojirou had no use for them anyway. She'd memorized the location they had targeted as well as the traps they had found. The rest was up to the Shinobi to deal with.
The man nodded his head, discussion over.
Dr. Sojirou almost snickered unprofessionally. 'Far too clever indeed.' They really thought she was that stupid? Please. She and her main team were experts in this territory, figuratively and literally. And in her experience, if an offer was too good to be true, it came with a free death sentence attached. The only way to beat a double-cross was to make the first move at the opportune moment. In this case, when the Amaya exited and took multiple kunai to the back.
The plan? While the Leaf ninja were distracted, Dr. Sojirou's real client would move in with his forces. She'd been paid in advance, so her team would snatch a few baubles and get out before attention and weaponry could turn on them. It was too perfect. Let the Shinobi fight amongst themselves while she made it big as the archaeologist who discovered the Amaya Shrine, with a reward and heavy recognition from the Hokage and Daimyo. Oh, and also a witness to the murder of the last Amaya heir, as unfortunate as that was. Best to write about her experience and sell that as well...
But even as those dreams of grandeur filled her thoughts, she was running the possibilities. The only snag so far was that her benefactor, a powerful Shinobi himself, could not come in person as promised. She had been given an excuse about an arm injury by another white-haired brat, but had been assured that the force sent was enough to deal with Danzo's team.
Biting back a small smile, the doctor raised the binoculars once more, idly wondering if her team had time to fill their bags before anyone noticed.
'Soon.'
THEN:
Kohinata Mukai would be taking the following day off, his first in a month. Once Itachi learned this fact from the mouth of Shimura Danzo, he hardened his resolve. Tsukiko was just as uneasy with this mission as he was, but it didn't matter. Both children had killed before, and they would do so many times in the future. That was the grim reality, for now, at least.
The arrangements were soon made, and Itachi, Tsukiko, and Shisui Uchiha, who was to accompany them, had their duty schedules changed through Danzo's agency.
Tsukiko and Itachi were going to kill a ninja living in their own village the following day...
Mukai might have been a traitor, but the fact that he was kin to them was unchanged. He was a comrade from the village. It would have been a lie to say that Itachi wasn't reluctant to kill the man. But this mission was more critical than any he accepted thus far in his life as a ninja. He could not refuse.
Tsukiko kept very much in mind the fact that Mukai was a traitor. The man had been talking with Kirigakure in secret, and had leaked crucial confidential information about Konohagakure. Thinking about this helped her set aside her feelings of guilt.
"Everything's ready!" A cheerful voice interrupted Itachi's meditations. "Just like you told me, I put eight out there." His little brother smiled. Itachi returned a grin. Tsukiko, sitting nearby, looked on fondly.
They were in the middle of the woods. Now that he knew the mission would be completed the next day, the pair was taking a break, and Sasuke had begged them to join him for some training. In amongst the close-standing trees, Sasuke had hidden targets marked with double circles. And quite splendidly—Itachi couldn't see a single one of them.
Tsukiko couldn't either. She'd already promised the small boy that she wouldn't "cheat" with her Gensogan before it was time.
"All right, go," Sasuke urged his older siblings in a spirited tone, unable to hide his excitement.
Nodding, Itachi grabbed his kunai. Once he had wedged one in between all his fingers, he had exactly eight in his hands. Eight iron claws sticking out from loose fists. Tsukiko was his mirror, her grin infectious. He smiled at her.
Itachi lowered his face, and focused his mind just a little. He then poured the chakra built up in the depths of his stomach into his eyes.
Sharingan.
The breathing of the trees grew restless at once, their old forms creaking and swaying. In the rumbling pulsation of writhing life, he saw small circular foreign objects. Eight of them.
Itachi let out a small breath, and then he kicked lightly at the ground. In the air, his head and his feet traded places. With his body upside down, his center of gravity pointed downward and stretched out, stabilizing his posture. And stabilizing his posture increased the precision of his control over his kunai.
He closed his eyes and imagined the eight targets in his mind. There were two that he couldn't reach from this position. The one knocked over artlessly behind the front of the enormous rock was going to be the most trouble.
First, he threw the four blades in his left hand in a single motion. All unerringly pierced the four targets in relatively easy locations.
Next, the two kunai clutched between the thumb and middle finger of his right hand. These also dug into their intended targets without incident.
Two left.
Itachi's body was still in the air. Not even a second had passed since he leapt up from the ground.
He switched the kunai held between his middle and ring fingers to his left hand. Now he had one kunai in each hand. He lifted both arms and threw the kunai at the same time.
The trajectories of the two blades overlapped. They collided in midair with a sharp dong, and then bounced off each other to fly off in unexpected directions.
He landed, his Sharingan glowing with a crimson light.
Next was Tsukiko's turn. Eyes closed until that point to avoid copying Itachi, she leapt up into the air.
Eyes turning gold, she felt Wind swirl around several unnaturally circular objects, two of which were in tricky spots. That explained the clang of metal she'd heard: Itachi had to redirect his kunai.
Releasing her weapons in quick succession, she sent a burst of Wind to speed them along. As before, two of them bounced off each other before flying off into the forest. Perfect.
Landing lightly, she smiled warmly at Itachi, heart fluttering when he returned the gesture. He'd been making an effort to enjoy their free time together, something she greatly appreciated. Here with Sasuke, she had everything she needed.
As Itachi stood up from his crouch slowly, he felt the presence of his brother before him. Sasuke had hidden himself behind a tree to avoid danger, but now he popped his head out suddenly. He seemed dumbfounded at the older children's skill in hitting all the targets.
Sasuke's mouth hung open as he stared at the rock before him, the location of the most troublesome target.
Naturally, both hit that one too. They had made the last two kunai collide, and changed their trajectories, to that end.
"Wow! You even nailed that target in the blind spot behind the rock!" Sasuke flew out from behind the tree. He was clutching kunai in both hands. He was in such high spirits after that display of his older siblings' that he was practically beside himself.
"All right! My turn!"
"Sasuke, we have to go."
Tsukiko stuck her tongue out at the bossy boy. "We have time to set up a few easier targets and let him try."
Sasuke was practically pulsating with excitement, but he stopped abruptly. The face he turned toward his brother was thoroughly displeased. "Yeah! You promised to teach me new shuriken techniques!" He glared at his brother in protest.
Itachi had indeed promised. But he had more than fulfilled that promise with what he had just shown the younger boy. "I've got a kind of important mission tomorrow. I have to get ready." Mostly mentally.
And, if he was honest with himself, he wanted to spend some time alone with Tsukiko. He'd yet to bring her to that tea shop, and he also wanted to review their battle strategy. Shisui had come up with it, based on some intel he'd received, and it put Tsukiko squarely in the center of the fight.
His little brother turned his face away and pouted. The cool eyes beneath the furrowed brow were twisted up as if he were about to burst into tears. "You're a liar, Itachi." Sasuke wasn't angry that Itachi hadn't taught him a new shuriken technique; he was angry because his time with his big brother and sister had been cut short.
Tsukiko frowned as well, but could tell Itachi was worried about something. If he really wanted to stop, she'd agree. But it had been a long time since she'd been able to spend any time with him, and these breaks with Sasuke were precious to her. She was just as loathe to cut this short as the younger boy.
The older boy's chest hurt slightly. If possible, Itachi would have trained with Sasuke to his younger brother's heart's content. But the mission the next day was not a simple one. He couldn't neglect his preparations. He almost wanted to cry, too.
His little brother turned his face to the ground, even as he peered out at Itachi with resentful eyes.
Itachi waved him over, and the clouds on Sasuke's face were instantly cleared away. Happy footsteps ringing out in the forest, Sasuke raced over to him.
The older girl bit her lip to hide her smile, knowing what was coming
"Sorry, Sasuke. Another time," he said, as he popped his index finger up and poked his still-moving little brother in the forehead.
"Ow!" Sasuke closed his eyes and cried out, his progress thwarted. He looked up at Itachi, his mouth turned downward on one side. Whenever Sasuke got this look on his face, Itachi knew he was planning something.
"Check this out!" Crossing both arms and readying his kunai, Sasuke smiled boldly. "Yaaaah!"
Before Itachi had the chance to stop him, Sasuke was flying toward the target.
Tsukiko was faster, nearly snatching the back of the boy's shirt. "Sasuke!"
"Hey! You're going to hurt yourself—" Itachi shouted, while before his eyes, Sasuke twisted his ankle, and plunged magnificently into the ground, headfirst.
NOW:
"What is this place?" Tsukiko asked, looking around with interest. The pair had left the shrine through a tunnel behind the hollowed tree and were now standing in a rock quarry, the cliff above marking the way back.
It was a circular pit in the forest, high cliffs and hard rock all around them, vaguely reminding Tsukiko of the battle arena used for the Third of the Chunin Exams. Too perfect to have been natural.
"A project of mine," Akihiro said, looking around fondly. "I found this little canyon and widened it out over the years into a training ground separate from the forest. Earth is my primary element," he continued smugly. "So I might've gone a bit overboard. But you should be able to safely work with Fire without setting the forest ablaze."
Turning to see the space she had, Tsukiko smiled. "Perfect." She tied her hair back to keep it out of her way, energy thrumming in her veins.
The old man clapped briskly. "Alright, let's get to work. Show me your forms, if you know any. I understand that your parents likely didn't get to teach you, but we must correct that now."
The jounin nodded, eyes turning red. "Fire first. That one's my best."
Slipping into her training mindset, Tsukiko saw her movements in her mind, muscle memory taking over as she smoothly slid into her initial stance.
"Hah!" With a shout, she punched an invisible enemy, Fire bursting from her fist. Kick, punch, dodge, punch, kick. Tsukiko moved through her practiced steps, transitioning to Water, then Earth, Wind, and Lightning. After around half an hour, she sent a bolt directly into the cliff side, forcing her straining muscles to hold her stance.
"That's enough." Akihiro had watched silently and expressionlessly, the occasional nod all she had received in terms of feedback. Now, he stood, rolling his shoulders.
Tsukiko dropped her arms, muscles pleasantly sore from a hard workout. Some of her hair had escaped its tie and fluttered in the cooling breeze. She was sweating and slightly out of breath, but excited to hear what her new mentor had to say.
The old man nodded to himself. "Well," he began, his voice gentle. "That was almost not completely wrong."
She blinked. "What?"
He smiled at her stunned expression, holding up his hands. "It's alright, really. You are in a better position than I had expected. It won't be hard to correct you."
Nodding, Tsukiko shrugged off the childish thought that she had never been told that her stances and technique were wrong. Of course it wasn't the Amaya style. How could she know something she had never truly been taught? Shaking off the juvenile irritation, she watched her sensei closely.
Akihiro removed his somewhat constricting robes to reveal green older-style ninja battle gear. "The positions you take when actually emitting or landing a blow are essentially correct, but the movement to that point is wrong. You move too much like a ninja."
Tsukiko cocked her head. "Isn't that the point?"
He paused, glancing at her. "No."
Mystified, she watched him look around, measuring something. "Tsukiko, I want you to unleash your strongest Fire attack that way." He pointed to the far end of the canyon. "Make the flames as hot and large as you can."
Obediently, she turned in the direction he pointed, eyes red. Chakra pooled in her stomach as she took a deep breath, filling her body with power. Connecting her thumb and forefinger, she put the circle against her lips like a child about to blow a bubble.
With a sudden exhale and step forward, she sent Fire shooting across the quarry, the flames hitting the rock and climbing upward. When they had almost reached the top of the cliff, she stopped.
Crackling merrily, the fire slowly faded to nothing, having scorched the rock black in a straight line.
Akihiro nodded again. "And there we find the problem. That was a recreation of the Uchiha Fireball jutsu, was it not?" He was not completely able to keep the disapproval from his voice.
Tsukiko flushed. "Yes." Her voice was small and embarrassed, insecure in ways she hadn't felt in a while. Lacking.
Black eyes expressing sympathy, the man sighed. "It's not bad, necessarily. But you are not a Ninjutsu user, and it is both a crippling component and disrespect to your lineage and abilities to use the Gensogan as such. Watch."
Taking a wide stance, Akihiro breathed deeply, eyes closing as he built up his chakra.
A split second later, they snapped open, blazing as he took a quick step forward and punched.
What erupted from his hand was not the explosion of energy that Tsukiko's had been. It was a massive stream of blue heat that filled the gorge, expanding not just to the opposite end of the rock, but completely filling it.
The heat was indescribable. Tsukiko stepped back, covering her face. Peeking through the gap in her arms, she saw Akihiro step forward again, into the inferno, spinning on his heel to face her and punch out.
Blue flames roaring in response, they moved, following the punch and blasting forward at high speeds. Unable to dodge, Tsukiko closed her eyes, falling into a crouch to protect her face.
But the pain never came. Opening her black orbs, they widened at the wall of fiery death stopped directly in front of her, the flames moving and billowing, but not touching her.
"This is what it means to master Fire, Tsukiko Amaya." With a grunt of effort, Akihiro snapped his hand to the side, banishing the flames and revealing his form. Behind him, the entire quarry was singed black, as was the area in front of him where he had directed his attack. Only where he had been standing escaped being burnt.
Heart pounding with adrenaline and fear, Tsukiko struggled to breathe, the very air in her lungs stolen by the oppressive heat. "T—Teach me," she gasped, holding her chest. "I want to—I need to learn."
He smiled gently, holding out his hand. "And learn you will. The Amaya clan will not die with me."
Fingers trembling, it was without hesitation that she put her future in his care.
THEN:
On the way home, carrying Sasuke after he hurt his ankle, Itachi walked toward the Uchiha compound in Konohagakure, Tsukiko holding his hand. Feeling the warmth of his brother on his back, the quiet time together passed peacefully.
As they passed, people in the village smiled and whispered, sending the children knowing looks.
Tsukiko felt embarrassed, about to pull her hand back, but Itachi tightened his grip. He didn't say anything, but smiled at her, expression as clear as she'd seen in a long while.
She relaxed, her lips pulling up into a gentle expression.
Sasuke's aura suddenly sent out faint ripples. Itachi stopped and looked at his younger brother over his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"This is where Father works?"
"Konoha Military Police Force headquarters," Itachi answered his brother matter-of-factly, looking up at the massive concrete building, constructed with the circle as a keynote.
Tsukiko looked at the building with dread. She'd never been invited in, but she could already imagine the harsh glares and scowls.
"This has been bothering me for a while," Sasuke continued, sounding rather grown-up. "Why is the Uchiha clan crest in the Military Police Force symbol?"
"You noticed that, huh?"
"Of course!" Sasuke replied, straightening up. Itachi's mouth naturally stretched into a smile. Tsukiko giggled.
"Right. Well, basically, our Uchiha ancestors organized and founded the Military Police Force. That's why they integrated our crest into the symbol for the organization. The Uchiha clan has handled and maintained public order in this village for a long time. The crest is proof of our proud history," Itachi explained, avoiding difficult words as best he could in his attempt to fulfill his brother's desire to learn anything and everything.
Sasuke listened silently.
"Right now, the Uchiha clan is smaller, but even now, basically all of us belong to the first squadron here, and contribute to maintaining public order in the village."
There were exceptions, like Shisui. Itachi had heard that the ninjas of the village had made an appeal, praising Shisui's superior talents. If Shisui were to join the Military Police Force, his interactions with ninjas outside the Military Police Force would have been severely curtailed, and he would have been completely contained within the Uchiha clan's framework. Due to entreaties from ninjas in the village who feared that outcome, Shisui had been assigned missions out in the field. Flowever, Sasuke didn't need to hear all that, so Itachi abandoned that line of thought.
"The only ones capable of cracking down on ninja crime are even greater ninja." And the only one capable of preventing battles started by ninja is an even greater ninja.
"Are you going to join too, Itachi?" Sasuke's innocent question pierced his heart.
The young boy continued. "Tsukiko too! We could all help the village together.
'We're not.' The real answer got stuck in his throat. "Dunno. We'll have to see." He could never tell his little brother about joining the Anbu for the sake of their clan, and how dissatisfied they were with the village. All he could do was offer some noncommittal response.
Tsukiko nodded, smile forced in place. There was a time where she would've given anything to belong to an Uchiha organization. But now...she wasn't so sure.
"Do it!" Sasuke shouted, in a voice free of worry, unaware of the dark circumstances of adulthood. His glittering purity wrenched Itachi's heart. "When I grow up, I'm gonna join the Military Police Force, too!"
The whole family in the Military Police Force, encouraging each other in their work. Days passing like a dream.
But that day will never come...
Itachi was going into the Anbu with Tsukiko. And even if he lived in a world that would allow him to join the Military Police Force, he could never be content with that fate.
His dream was to rid this world of war. The vessel of the Military Police Force was simply too small to realize something that big. And it was doubtful they would accept Tsukiko. He'd never be able to thrive in a world without her.
"Father's coming to my entrance ceremony tomorrow. It's the first big step toward my dream," Sasuke said. Itachi's baby brother's dream was to work as a ninja, together with his big brother and sister, in the Military Police Force.
Itachi was glad. But that dream would never be realized.
"Yeah." The vague reply was all Itachi could give Sasuke.
Tsukiko's smile looked like she was about to cry. "Sounds good!"
NOW:
"Fire is a powerful element and demands respect," Akihiro lectured, moving slowly from kick to punch so Tsukiko could mimic him. "You will develop fluidity of motion over time. First, you must learn the correct form."
He breathed deeply and exaggeratedly, gesturing her to do the same. "Because Fire and Lightning are the only ones conjured by chakra, they rely heavily on you breathing correctly. There is no Fire without oxygen, Tsukiko."
She nodded, completely engrossed. Though his movements were familiar to her, they were using a lot of the extra motions that she had cut out. What she had thought were "dances" were actually a complex fighting style slowed down.
Akihiro increased his speed, answering her unspoken question. "Fire uses a wide stance with circular blocks for defense and aggressive attack and retreat. You movements should be quick, relying on punches and kicks, but should never be sloppy. You should always know exactly where your blow will land and treat Fire as an extension of you. It is your soul, your energy converted, and you must respect it as such."
"And that's how I can make it hotter?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "The more chakra you feed it, the hotter it gets. But as you build up your control, that amount will decrease again."
Tsukiko nodded. "Like a ninjutsu mastered over time. Once you understand it, you can use it more times."
Akihiro shook his head. "You must forget all that. This is not a jutsu, Tsukiko. You are using your chakra to call upon Fire and feed it, but it is not made of chakra like a ninjutsu." He held out his palm, a flame sparking up. "What is this eating?"
"Your chakra," Tsukiko answered, creating a twin flame.
"Correct." Then he held up a small stick, holding it over his palm to ignite it. "And now?"
"The wood." The woman frowned, unable to see where this was going.
"Can you control it?"
Tsukiko held out her hand, focusing. The flame on the end of the stick got bigger. "Yes."
"And that is the difference. Unlike a Shinobi, you are a conduit for natural energy. To wield as we do requires jutsu and years of practice. And if a fire is separated from chakra, it is no longer fueled or controlled by it. That doesn't stop you. Like a muscle trained daily to lift a weight, if should become easier and easier to summon a spark or move a rock. And as you would increase the weight, you increase the heat. We Amaya have little chakra, Tsukiko, and it shouldn't be used up in controlling a single element. Strain comes with using multiple."
The young woman crossed her arms, thinking. Her experiences thus far seemed to roll over her in a wave. Most recently, with the Kigen Gensogan, came the memory of her effortless ability to conjure or control elements. "That makes sense," she allowed, the realization that she had been training wrong and instilling bad habits in herself for years making her cringe.
"Good." Dusting himself off, Akihiro pointed to the cliff. "I'll head back to the shrine to make some food. Stay here and make a small flame on your palm a thousand times. We'll do this daily until the time it takes is under a minute. If you finish before I return, make a small fire with wood and try to pull away a section of it. If you can do that without taking the whole fire from the wood, practice control by making the flame spin in a circle." He held up his finger, a small spark appearing before it spun to create a ring. "Like this."
"Yes, sir!" Motivated to succeed, Tsukiko felt like a young genin running drills in the woods, a nostalgia in her chest. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, she held out her palm.
'One thousand in under a minute? Let's go.'
THEN:
When they passed through the gates separating the Uchiha compound from the village, Itachi abruptly felt an aura beside the wall.
"You're late. What were you up to? I want to talk to you." Their father, Fugaku, arms folded in front of him, was looking at Itachi. "Let's get home."
"Yes, Father," Itachi nodded.
Tsukiko smiled in greeting, the old man returning the gesture. She relaxed marginally. The other Uchihas would leave her alone if Lord Fugaku was with them. "How was your day?"
Fugaku gestured around. "Relatively quiet, Tsukiko. Did you have fun training with Sasuke?" His eyes lingered on her holding Itachi's hand, a look of fondness crossing his features.
The two chatted, their father walking straight toward their house with a confident stride, and Itachi moved heavy feet to chase after him, his little brother still on his back and Tsukiko practically dragging him now. When had he become annoyed at facing his father like this?
He knew the answer. But he didn't want to acknowledge it. Watching him with Tsukiko made it worse. Why treat her so kindly if he wasn't going to help her? He knew what her life was like, and made no move to stop the rest of the clan from treating her like trash. It cheapened these moments.
The boy gritted his teeth, irritation mounting.
His father's room, thankfully free of that sickening aura for the moment. Their father sat with his arms crossed before Itachi, Tsukiko and Sasuke, the children sitting alongside each other. "I'm told it's tomorrow," Fugaku said abruptly.
Itachi stayed silent, feeling his heart start to pound in his chest. He knew what his father meant. Fugaku was talking about the assassination of Mukai the following day. That was what was making Itachi's heart beat faster.
'Exactly how much does my father know? And who did he hear about the mission from?'
Itachi had a vague answer to the latter question. It had to be someone close to Danzo. But why had Danzo leaked information about the mission to his father?
Doubt called up more doubt, stirring up Itachi's heart.
The older man chuckled proudly. "That's my children. It's only been six months since your promotion to chunin, and you both have already come so far."
Tsukiko beamed, but the expression faded slightly as Itachi looked at his father silently, and Sasuke turned worried eyes on his older brother.
Still, Lord Fugaku has praised her! Tsukiko's chest felt warm with excitement. Maybe getting into the Anbu would prove her worth to the rest of the clan as well!
"Tomorrow is a special mission... and I've decided to go along."
Itachi's heart pounded more fiercely than it had all day. But the rocking of his brother's heart next to him was many times fiercer.
Tsukiko's eyes widened, her gaze shifting to Sasuke. "Um.."
Their father's head was filled with the clan, and he had forgotten exactly how important the next day was for his younger son. Anger toward his father welled up in Itachi.
"If you succeed in this mission, Itachi, your entry into the Anbu is basically secured." Fugaku looked at his silent son, his eyes dyed crimson. "You know that, yes?"
Chest starting to tighten, Tsukiko opened her mouth. No sound came out. Once again, she got the impression that her adoptive father and brother were speaking in a code of some kind. One she felt that she almost understood. One that was all the more frustrating for it.
Itachi and Tsukiko were only allowed to take one person on the Mukai assassination. He had also already told Danzo that Shisui would be that one person. The fact that his father didn't know this meant that he didn't know the particulars of the mission.
He had likely only been told the day the mission was to be carried out.
Fugaku despised the village, and here he was being toyed with, via information brought in from the village. His father seemed so pitiable to him, Itachi could hardly stand it.
A mission that required him to be ready to die. It had to be Tsukiko and Shisui by his side.
He would not allow his father's interference.
"You don't have to worry so much. Besides..." Itachi looked at Sasuke, who had been pulled into Tsukiko's lap as if to protect him. Even though he was likely on the verge of bursting out into loud sobs, his wise little brother was pushing back his own feelings and smiling.
For her part, Tsukiko had that expression on her face. The hurt one, like she had been betrayed. It was that face that had been prominent in Itachi's occasional nightmares. The one he hated most. But she swallowed it into those endless black eyes, focusing on comforting Sasuke over her own hurt.
"It's alright, Itachi..." He felt as though he could hear Sasuke's voice in his head.
A smile spread across Itachi's lips, and he put his words into his eyes. "Tell him...Tomorrow is a big day for you, right?" He gave the smaller boy a push with the power in his eyes.
The boy perked up bravely. "Dad... Tomorrow is my—"
"Tomorrow's mission is a very important one for the Uchiha clan!"
His little brother's courage was shattered by the hard words of their father, his mind focused on nothing but the clan. Sasuke lowered his head, a frozen look on his face, as he desperately held back his tears.
Tsukiko jerked back, surprise making her eyes widen. She'd never heard Lord Fugaku talk like that to Sasuke. Never. Hurt and confusion was plain on her face as she cuddled the boy closer, hand automatically stroking his hair soothingly.
With a heat tightening in his chest, Itachi's anger toward his father surpassed his limits. Was the clan that important? Did he not care about Sasuke? Or Tsukiko? Couldn't he see how scared they were? How The white-haired girl was physically shielding the younger boy?
All that Itachi saw in his father's eyes was the future of the clan. The man hadn't given a single thought to the fact that his elder son was about to go on a possibly fatal mission. And he didn't even see his younger son. Never mind his daughter, whom he barely made polite conversation with. And she was so starved for affection that she was content with that. How could he ever win against Konohagakure with such a narrow outlook?
Itachi hated all of it.
"You know, I'm not going on the mission tomorrow, after all," The boy said calmly.
"Have you lost your mind?! You know how important tomorrow is! What on earth are you saying?!"
"I'm going to Sasuke's entrance ceremony at the academy tomorrow."
His father caught his breath. At that moment, for the first time, Fugaku remembered what Sasuke was doing the following day. This, too, made Itachi so angry, he could hardly stand it. It was sad, infuriating, pathetic.
"It's customary for relatives to attend. You must have gotten the notice... Father." Itachi was serious when he said he was abandoning the mission. Those words came from the bottom of his heart, and were no lie.
Tsukiko nodded, finding her nerve. "It's a really important day, after all. Sasuke has been looking forward to it for weeks."
His father tried to understand this. After a fleeting silence flowed through the room, he let out an exasperated sigh. "All right. Enough. I'll go to the academy."
Fugaku then stood and walked toward the dinner table, where their mother was waiting. He never even looked at his youngest son, clutching tightly to his sister. Itachi, Tsukiko, and Sasuke slowly followed him out of the room. From the garden came the dry sound of the bamboo rocker arm of the shishi-odoshi clacking against the stone.
Itachi knew that now that he had said all that, his father would absolutely go to Sasuke's entrance ceremony. His son's entry into the Anbu was the first step toward realizing the dearest wishes of the clan. He couldn't make a mess of it over Sasuke's entrance ceremony.
It was precisely because Itachi couldn't have his father come along on the mission that he had seriously intended to go to his brother's entrance ceremony.
And being sick and tired of everything, wanting to go to the academy, none of that was a lie, either. But still, he couldn't actually give up on accomplishing the mission with Shisui.
Joining the Anbu was not a foothold to realizing the dreams of his clan. It was a modest step toward realizing his own dream of becoming the most skilled ninja in the world in order to get rid of all fighting. He had no intention of giving up on that.
And to that end, he had used his little brother. He despaired of himself.
Although it had been decided that their father would take part in the entrance ceremony after all, Sasuke seemed to feel responsible for the stormy air between Itachi and Fugaku, and he trailed quietly behind his older brother, holding tightly to his sister for support as he limped along.
Tsukiko felt like her stomach was in knots. 'What was that back there?'
Itachi looked at them over his shoulder, and hiding his own feelings of guilt, he said, "Make sure you really ice that ankle." Did his face stiffen up as he smiled when he said that? He hoped not, but from Tsukiko's expression, it probably did.
She gave him a look, one that said he'd better be ready to explain, before it softened into gratitude. "Itachi's right. You have to be ready to walk the stage tomorrow!"
"All right," his younger brother replied, a complicated look on his face.
Itachi had no idea what to say to Sasuke or Tsukiko at that moment, a gap of his father's creation opening up between them.
NOW:
Sasuke glared at the wall of his room, ignoring the cheerful chatter of his pink-haired teammate who'd come to drop off some food. He'd been stuck in bed until recently, when a blond woman who was going to be the new Hokage checked his injuries and healed the worst of them. Even so, he'd been told to take it easy for another day. She had also helped Kakashi, who had been unconscious since fighting Itachi.
Apparently he'd been subjected to Tsukuyomi, a fate Sasuke had only narrowly avoided himself. If Tsukiko hadn't…
He gripped the sheets tightly, closing his eyes to force the memory back. Utterly useless. He'd come so close to dying without ever even having landed a blow, and had to be saved like he was still a small child. Itachi was still in a completely different realm from him.
And Tsukiko had left, her priority not tracking down the man who was tormenting them, but on saving him from Orochimaru. Guilt, bitter and corroding, ripped through him. If he hadn't been bitten, if he hadn't been so weak, then Tsukiko could be training with him, working on that new power she had. If that old man hadn't messed everything up, she might've had a chance against Itachi.
But still...he couldn't help but feel a little relieved that Tsukiko hadn't been in a prolonged fight with Itachi. The memory of him wounding her that night, seeing the kunai blossom from her chest, was one that haunted his nightmares. She was the last of his family...if she got hurt again…
Sasuke's eyes opened, pushing those thoughts aside. He needed to do it. To be the one to take down Itachi. Unlike Tsukiko, his heart was filled with hatred for his older brother.
She tried to hide it, but Sasuke had seen glimpses, times where she'd looked so sad or longing that he'd wanted to scream. Tsukiko still loved Itachi, and that bastard was a source of constant pain for her. If she killed him...well, he didn't want to think about that.
To be fair, it was also from a place of selfishness. Itachi has challenged him, meant for Tsukiko to die and for him, Sasuke, to be his opponent. He was of course grateful that Tsukiko had survived, but...this was his fight. Uchiha vs Uchiha, Sharingan vs Sharingan.
"What do you think of these?" Sakura held up a pair of lilies. "Aren't they pretty?"
Irritation and gratitude warred in his chest. He needed a distraction right now, something to take his mind away from failure.
"Sure," he answered hollowly, unable to look at his teammate. Sakura had also been in danger a short while ago, and he'd been equally useless then.
'Naruto…'
It felt wrong to feel so much anger towards the blond boy, but Sasuke couldn't help it. Naruto had defeated Gaara, Naruto had been the one Itachi was after, Naruto was steadily getting stronger while he was stuck in bed.
It wasn't ego to say he was more skilled than Naruto. That was simply a fact. In the Academy, he'd been the best and Naruto had been the worst. But his potential for advancement was greater, and he had moments of real power, fueled by something dark and evil. In other words, he was sporadic. But that had the ability to surpass him if Sasuke remained still.
'And he's training with one of the Sannin.' That old man was apparently really strong. At one point, the young Uchiha had feigned sleep when Tsunade and Jiraiya checked on him, and learned that the blond woman was also a member. And from their whispered discussion about his Curse Mark, it wasn't hard to guess who the final Sannin was.
'If Naruto can get so strong after training with a Sannin, how far can I go?'
That was the driving thought, cropping up more and more often, throbbing in the back of his mind in time with the Curse Mark on his neck. Kakashi was still recovering, and the old man was training Naruto, he had little interest in learning healing arts, and Tsukiko was gone. There was no one to teach him at the moment.
'Except…'
Masuko growled with frustration. "I understand," she said finally.
The old man before her inclined his head. "Good. With half our forces gone, it's imperative that everyone contribute and do their part to preserve the strength of the village."
The purple-haired woman bit back a sharp reply. Mr. Bandages here didn't look like he was doing anything. But she was grateful that she hadn't been assigned anything until now. At least Jiraiya and Tsunade were back. That should give Sasuke enough protection until Tsukiko returned.
Turning away from the man, one of the three council members who had taken over administrative duties until Tsunade could be named Fifth Hokage, Masuko waited until she was far enough away to let out the sigh she'd been holding in.
"Hurry back, Tsukiko," she muttered, glancing unenthusiastically at the small sword at her waist. "You're not the only one who needs to go on a quest. How am I supposed to take down Kisame with this thing?"
Shaking her head, she left to prepare for the short body-guarding mission she was assigned to. 'I'll ask the girls to help watch over Sasuke while I'm gone.'
Danzo watched her go, sharp eyes waiting until she was out of hearing range. "Tell Orochimaru that Sasuke is unguarded. Now is the time to act."
The Foundation member hiding in the shadows nodded, vanishing.
The old man smiled to himself. He may have been stripped of official power after the Uchiha massacre, but his Foundation was still expressly loyal to him. And with the secrets recovered from the Amaya Shrine, his takeover of the Leaf village was a near possibility. Tsunade was a thorn in his side, but one that would have to wait. The Uchiha boy and Tsukiko were the big problems.
His failure in making her a loyal tool still stung, but the loss wasn't crippling. Danzo still had plenty of pieces on the board, most of which were unseen. The only real fear he had was of Itachi. That damned brat's appearance was a reminder of the promise Danzo had made to protect the last of his family. Well, they'd had a few happy years, hadn't they? At this point, they were only liabilities.
Sitting back in his chair like a spider at the center of a vast web, he waited for a vibration in the strings.
A.N. Hello! I just wanted to thank everyone who comments on the chapters. It really gives me motivation! I got this posted today because of a comment I read that fired me up.