Author's note: This chapter will tell us the match between Inojin and Shunsuke, while revealing us some interesting changes in the Chuunin Exams. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.
Chapter 47: Brothers
Inside a giant stadium, the Village Hidden in the Leaves
Menma watched as the next match was about to commence. The final match had arrived and it was between twin brothers: Inojin and Shunsuke, sons of Sasuke Uchiha and Ino Yamanaka. In fact, Menma and his other students had moved down to the lowest row of seats, standing near the fence that separated them from the height down below. He thought this as a good idea, considering that even now, both Takeda and Nashiko were very determined in seeing how this match would end up.
The young man with ponytail fixed his eyes upon Nashiko, who had just recovered from the injuries she received in her match against Minami. From what he could tell, the young pinkette was feeling nothing but concern over seeing the twin brothers fight one another. She still remembered how close they were to fight for real back on the Train Mountains.
"Nashiko…" Menma thought inside of him, deciding to see how Takeshi was coping with this. From what he could see, the brown-haired boy was eyeing this with nothing but grim eyes, and it could easily be told upon his bright eyes. "You haven't spoken much since Shunsuke headed for his match. I assume that this reminds you about your match against Minami in the semifinals" he noted in his head.
"Damn…it's all coming back" Takeda cursed inside of him, recalling the time when Manami had beaten him in the semifinals. "For some reason, I feel that this match is gonna be a hell lot tougher than the one I experienced. Hopefully, Shunsuke knows how to deal with this" he noted in his head.
Meanwhile, Nashiko were having her own thoughts about this match. "Shunsuke….Inojin….." she noted lowly, her emerald eyes filled with worry over the twin brothers she had known since they were little. "Please….do not try doing anything dangerous…..either one of you" she added to her thoughts about the two boys.
Ayumu and Chouta were having similar thoughts when seeing this match, and Shikaien was now joining them in seeing how things were going. "Alright, Inojin. You did good against Kotone.…..but can you also do the same against Shunsuke?" the red-eyed man wondered in his head while gazing down to the battleground. He eventually fixed his eyes upon Team Menma. "I believe that you're probably thinking about the same things as I, Menma" he noted while seeing his longtime friend.
"Hey Shikaien" Chouta suddenly asked her teammate, who turned to face her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you think that Shunsuke will be a challenge to Inojin? You know, instead of the other way around?" she asked the boy with ponytail with slight curiosity.
Hearing this caused Shikaien to ponder on in his head. "I am not sure. But I do know that Shunsuke has always been wishing to fight Inojin. In any case, he must be prepared for something at least" he told her before facing the battleground. "In fact, Inojin may as well have a desire to fight Shunsuke as well. They are brothers, so maybe this is a fight only they decide on how it works" Shikaien added to his answer.
Chouta only nodded her head in reply, feeling she got what she was asking about.
Ino was watching the battleground with slight worry inside of her, and Sakura and the others could see that in her. But what they didn't know, was that the blonde-haired woman was not feeling as insecure. Although she refused to admit it, she knew that there would be a day when her sons would fight each other in a match, regardless of whether it was in the Chuunin Exams or not. Ino looked down to the seat where her husband sat and from what she could tell, he looked as unfazed as ever.
"I know you don't care much about this fight, Sasuke. But what if something terrible was to happen to either one of them?" she wondered while glancing at him. But a feeling in her gut told her to stop worrying too much and the blonde-haired woman realized that it was true. She forced a slight smile while seeing her sons standing in the battleground. "No matter which one of you emerges the winner, I will always love the two of you" she thought while closing her eyes to convince herself of that fact.
Unbeknownst to her, Sasuke had briefly taken notice of Ino watching him, yet he decided not to turn around and face her. He knew that his wife managed to find her own courage on the inside, and it pleased the raven-haired man. His black eyes were fixed upon his two sons, and Sasuke could not help but to looking forward to this match. In fact, he had secretly wanted to see how Shunsuke had been doing in terms of preparations and training. Hopefully he had also learned some new tricks that Sasuke had yet to see.
"So Sasuke, which one are you rooting for?" Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by Suigetsu, who simply glanced at him smugly.
The raven-haired man only ignored his friend's comment, as he knew that Suigetsu was not always the brightest among those he knew. That could be said the same for Naruto and Kiba, although Sasuke didn't hate them or anything, only becoming annoyed by their careless antics.
Suigetsu only huffed and crossed his arms to look at the battleground. "Gee, you really don't look so lively now, Sasuke. I don't know why, but I'm just saying" he noted in his head.
At the upper tribunals, Naruto had taken notice of his daughter moving down to the lowest rows of seats. But seeing this made him only smile, as Naruto knew how much the Uchiha-Yamanaka twins mattered to her. He still remembers how he always used to tease Nashiko whenever she was seen hanging out with Shunsuke.
"Just relax, Nashiko. None of them will be dying today. That, I swear to you" Naruto said in his head while facing the young pinkette.
"You okay there, Naruto?" the blonde-haired man turned around to face Shikamaru, who was simply facing him with his usual smug face. He then motioned his face down to the battleground. "You girl's not the only one who's watching this, Shikio does too" Shikamaru revealed.
While smiling at Shikamaru, Naruto could see that Tsunade was now in a conversation with both Tadeshi and Isamu. He eventually saw the Hokage motioning for him to come to them and Naruto responded without hesitation. For some reason, Tsunade had a grim expression on her face.
"What's the status? Did something happen to Noburu?" he asked them lowly, as he had after all tasked both Tadeshi and Isamu with keeping an eye on him.
Tsunade nodded her head. "He was not captured, but he was confronted in an alleyway" the blonde-haired woman told him. "By the main culprit behind the stealing of the Orb of Asura" she then revealed lowly and grimly.
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise over hearing this. "What! Was one of these men inside the Leaf Village?" he asked both Tadeshi and Isamu, who nodded their heads in reply. Naruto calmed himself before continuing speaking. "I see. But I take it that this man vanished after speaking with Noburu, am I correct?" he then asked them.
"Yeah, Naruto-sensei. But for some reason, we believe that this man was trying to mislead us by telling the boy that the Sound Village was their next target" the man with the sunglasses said and made sure that nobody was listening. "We cannot take his words for granted. He and this brotherhood of his is targeting the Leaf Village. Obviously, he just wanted us to expect that nothing was happening today" Tadeshi added to his analysis.
Naruto nodded his head in return. "I see. He knew that you were eavesdropping on their conversation and he chose to say those words not to just fool Noburu, but you…US as well, I mean" the blonde-haired man remarked and faced Tsunade. "Grandma Tsunade, we better inform both Gaara and Mei about this. All of us, must be…." Naruto was interrupted by the voice of Gaara.
"We have already been told" Gaara said, as he and Mei were now standing before the group, accompanied by Kankuro and Chojuro respectively. The red-haired man smiled at Naruto. "We knew that sooner or later, this Brotherhood of the Blue Moon would appear in the Leaf Village, just as they had said back in the Sand Village" the Kazekage responded.
Mei also nodded her head. "But then again, this may not be the first time that those thieves have infiltrated the Leaf" the brunette told them and looked around before deciding to share something with them all. "Kaito told us that he and his students came across a black-haired man with eyes so azure. He fits the description of this brotherhood's members" she told them.
"Whatever their case may be, I will not call off the Chuunin Exams for the sake of these terrorists" Tsunade assured them and faced the battleground. "But while we're watching, let us take great caution with our surroundings" she encouraged both her subordinates and her visitors, who knew that Tsunade spoke the truth.
While things were happening so smoothly on the tribunals, the battleground was filled with silence, as the noise only came from the spectators. Shunsuke stood tall facing Inojin, who simply stood and glanced at him unfazed. From what Shunsuke could tell, he didn't seem that concerned about fighting his twin brother. Even so, Shunsuke showed no fear on the outside. In fact, he decided to speak up.
"You know, I never thought that you and I would get to fight each other so early" Shunsuke remarked with slight amusement in his voice. "But like it or not, we will fight, and only one of us can win" he added with a lower voice this time.
Inojin did not seem impressed by his choice of words. "Focus, Shunsuke" he suddenly lectured his twin brother, who only snapped in surprise in return. "You heard me. Saying something that only makes you feel better won't help you win against me. That is what I can say to you" he added with another lecture and advice to Shunsuke.
The short raven-haired boy only felt more obliged to hit back at that statement. "What are you talking about? You know that I've always desired to fight you, Inojin" Shunsuke said to the boy with ponytail, who simply crossed his arms in return. This only made Shunsuke grit his teeth in frustration. "Why are you giving me the silent treatment now? I mean, what have I done to make you feel so dissatisfied of me?" he added with a question, demanding an answer from Inojin.
"You just don't get it, do you?" Inojin asked lowly while closing his eyes. "In a fight such as this, you can't expect me to feel sorry for you, just because you and I share the same blood and have been through the same stuff" he explained to his twin brother in a slightly cold tone.
Shunsuke's black eyes only widened in shock over hearing those words. Something was not right with Inojin, as he seemed to be tougher towards Shunsuke than others. Even so, the short raven-haired boy knew that there was only one way out of this match, and that was defeating his opponent. Shunsuke readied his fighting stance, swallowing all his fears and doubts.
"I guess I just have to beat him in order to revert him back to normal" Shunsuke noted inside his head.
Lee saw that both boys were ready for combat and he was proud to be able to witness the match between Sasuke's sons so close. He raised his arm up before swinging it down. "Begin!" he gave the boys the green light.
Inojin began charging against Shunsuke, intending on fighting him in hand to hand combat. To his surprise, Shunsuke stood tall and was willing to fight back and both twin brothers used their speed and agility to counter each other and to look for an opening.
Shunsuke threw a kunai at Inojin, who easily grabbed it and threw back at him. This caused Shunsuke to widen in surprise, But he managed to grab his kunai, yet had no time to waste, as Inojin was running straight towards him in fast speed.
"He really is fast!" Shunsuke noted. Instead of waiting for his opponent to come at him, Shunsuke ran straight towards Inojin, who seemed to be slightly surprised when he saw this.
"Shunsuke has lost some of his passiveness. I can see it" Inojin noted, yet proceeded to run towards Shunsuke. To Inojin's surprise, his twin brother was doing a flying kick towards him. "Since when did he become interested in learning more about taijutsu?" he wondered, but Inojin also did a flying kick and headed straight towards his twin brother.
Both Shunsuke and Inojin clashed with their feet hitting against one another, and they both pulled back, performing some hand seals quickly while flying backwards.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" they both exclaimed before blowing out a fireball out of their mouths
The two fireballs hit and an explosion of fire appeared when those two collided against each other. The spectators were impressed by seeing this and even cheered, considering that they were always desiring to see some spectacular scenes or moments. Once the smoke was clear, both combatants were standing on each side, facing one another.
Inojin began rubbing his forehead-protector and face while closing his eyes, much to Shunsuke's own confusion. "It turns out that you're not the same insecure boy that you've always been. I see now why you won your match in the semifinals" Inojin admitted, even forcing a slight smile while saying this. But that smile soon turned into that of a frown and Inojinopened his eyes, thus revealing his Sharingan. "However, like I said, I won't hold back on you. Just so you know it" the raven-haired boy with ponytail said in a calculating tone.
Shunsuke had begun to notice slight uncertainties inside of him, especially since Inojin had now activated his Sharingan. The short raven-haired boy had also begun reflecting on the words he just heard from his twin brother. "So Inojin really has been showing interests of fighting me" he noted inside of him and began closing his black eyes to reflect on what he had seen from Inojins match with Kotone. "When I watched Itachi fight Kotone, I noticed that he seemed enthusiastic at the beginning, yet as soon as the fight was ongoing, he grew bored of it. Could it be that Inojin is somewhat putting high hopes of me in this match?" he then wondered before slowly opening his eyes, revealing his Sharingan. Shunsuke then readied his fighting stance. "I don't know what Inojin has undergone with dad, but I am still determined to take my chances against him" he said to himself, indicating that he wanted to fight Inojin.
The two brothers faced off each other with their crimson eyes, as there was nothing but silence between them. To Inojin's surprise, Shunsuke began his move by throwing three shuriken. "What is he….." the long-haired boy could not believe what he was seeing. "Has he seriously lost his senses?" he added to his thoughts
But his twin brother was not just planning on throwing three simple shuriken. He suddenly stood and performed hand seals. "Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he exclaimed and thousands of shadow clones were created from those three shuriken.
This attack caught Inojin completely by surprise. "Damn it! So many shuriken!" he gritted his teeth in irritation and knew he had to avoid them, but was that even possible? In a desperate attempt, Inojin manifested small chakra flames on each of his fingers on the right hand, and slammed his palm to the ground. This resulted in the creation of a cylindrical barrier that protected Itachi from the shuriken. As they made contact with the barrier, they burned to crisps.
Shunsuke was awed by what he was seeing, as he knew what kind of technique this was. "It can't be…..the Uchiha Flame Formation" he uttered out the name lowly, as he had seen his father perform this once. But he suddenly ran straight towards it, soon running around the barrier in a circle in a fast speed. "Inojin really has learned some tricks, that he has. But I still won't let that keep me away from him! As soon as the barrier is down, Inojin's mine!" he thought while running and observing the barrier.
Eventually, the barrier disintegrated and Shunsuke had hoped to be able to catch his twin brother. But as soon as he ran straight towards it, Inojin was not standing there, much to his own shock. However, he was in for a surprise, as he felt someone land the heel of a sandal on his head. It was Inojin, who was had just attacked him from above, but how?
Shunsuke found himself groaning in pain while sitting on his knee, which astounded Inojin, as he had expected his twin brother to be falling onto his stomach after being attacked like this.
"I see…" Shunsuke spoke up lowly while facing his twin brother with a mischievous smile. "While you were inside the barrier, you jumped from side to side until you were high enough to be above me" he added and surprisingly chuckled at Inojin, who remained confused. "Smart move. But let's see if you like THIS!" Shunsuke said and he punched Inojin by his chin, thus sending him flying to the air.
Inojin was caught by surprise by his brother's attack and he felt like he couldn't move so much of his legs, but little of his arms. "What the hell!? When did Shunsuke get that….." he snapped when he found Shunsuke jumping above him, preparing to attack him from the air.
"Sorry about this, Inojin. But nothing personal" Shunsuke said before moving his feet, only for him to notice that his brother was doing some hand seals quickly. "What?" he said yet continue with the attack as he planned. "Lion's Barrage!" he yelled and moved his feet.
"Fire Style: Burning Ash!" Inojin suddenly blew out steam from his mouth and it consumed Shunsuke. Yet despite receiving this, Shunsuke still landed one powerful kick at Inojin's stomach, thus sending him flying down to the ground. Inojin landed on his back and he could feel how that hurt. His twin brother landed not far from his standpoint, coughing in the process. The boy with the ponytail could not believe what he had just seen Shunsuke perform. "What happened just no? Have I seriously underestimated Shunsuke as a shinobi? That may be truth" he noted in his thoughts while panting.
Shunsuke was finished coughing and noticed his twin brother currently standing on only one knee. "Man…..you really got me there, Inojin" he noted while forcing a smile at Inojin. "Maybe if I was more careful, I would've managed to pull that attack for real" the short raven-haired boy noted, his voice filled with amusement instead of arrogance.
Inojin simply got up and only stretched his neck before spitting on the ground. "Don't get your hopes too high, Shunsuke. I haven't even tried taking you for real" he revealed and suddenly performed some hand seals.
Before Shunsuke knew it, lightning suddenly began sparkling on Inojin's right hand and he leaned down to further empower the ball of lightning in his hand. The short raven-haired boy was stunned to see what Itachi was currently performing and he never expected to see his own twin brother perform that jutsu. He was caught completely by surprise.
"The Chidori…." Shunsuke uttered out before he briefly eyed his father, sitting at his seat. "So that's what you have been teaching him…..despite your objections" he added to his thoughts, with Sasuke still glancing down upon the battleground unfazed.
"Ayumu-sensei, look what Inojin is performing" Chouta said while pointing her finger.
The red-eyed man was stunned to see what his student were currently performing and he had even dropped the cigarette he held in his mouth. "No way…the Chidori" he noted in his head before eyeing the father of the twins. "I was wondering why Itachi had also managed to develop himself as a shinobi. And I think his father has the answer to it. Sasuke-sensei…I don't know what you did, but you must've thought about this carefully before teaching your son the Chidori" Ayumu added to his thoughts.
Shikaien had been watching with optimism so far, but seeing his teammate performing the same kind of jutsus that almost had him finished during his match against Bunko made the dark blonde-haired boy feel a tint of insecurity. "Damn it, Inojin. Are you willing to use that technique in order to win?" he wondered in his head.
Nashiko was feeling really concerned when seeing Itachi readying his Chidori and both Takeda and Menma could see that. "Inojin….." the pinkette uttered out his name lowly, suddenly snapping as the long-haired boy with ponytail ran straight towards Shunsuke. "No…..please stop, Iinojin!" she suddenly pleaded out of the blue, not knowing that people could hear her, including her teammate and teacher.
"What's wrong with you, Nashiko?" Takeda asked with a raised eyebrow.
The beautiful pinkette faced the long-haired boy with a slightly sad look on her face. But Menma knew that he had to intervene and help Nashiko ease her fears. "Nashiko….now is not the time for you to….." the man with the ponytail was interrupted by the young kunoichi's tearful eyes.
"I don't want to see either one of them, die!" she called out to him, her emerald eyes slowly starting to stream from her eyes. "Someone has to stop Iinojin!" she then begged him.
Inojin angrily charged at his twin brother and Shunsuke didn't even bother making an attempt to avoid the attack. But as Inojin was about to land his Chidori on his own brother, Shunsuke simply grabbed hold of his right hand, thereby preventing him from unleashing his attack. Inojin snapped in anger by seeing this, stunned when he saw how Shunsuke had grabbed hold of his right hand, right before the Chidori hit its target.
The two brothers faced each other with their crimson eyes, with Inojin gritting his teeth in anger over seeing this. Shunsuke on the other hand, had remained calm and simply faced his twin brother with a frown. The lightning in Inojin's hand began disappearing and both brothers faced each other in silence.
"You don't have to do this, Inojin" Shunsuke suddenly spoke up lowly.
Inojin got angered when hearing this. "What are you spewing about!? This is a duel! One of us will not be making it!" the raven-haired boy with ponytail spat out.
Shunsuke narrowed his crimson eyes. "I don't care about this match! All that I care about is that you stop having this desire in defeating dad in combat!" he simply replied. When hearing this, Itachi's eyes widened in realization, not believing the words that came out from his twin brother's mouth. "You heard me. It is time that you give up on that desire. It won't give you anything" Shunsuke added.
"And do what!?" Inojin suddenly snapped out in anger. "You and I both know that we one day will have to defeat him!" he then pointed out.
"For what reason!?" Shunsuke asked out in disbelief. "Somehow, you fail to see the entire story of pain that our father has gone through! He doesn't deserve anymore pain!" the raven-haired boy said.
Inojin narrowed his crimson eyes. "He chose to be a criminal by his own will!" the young boy bellowed before Shunsuke, who snapped in realization. Inojin took a deep breath before grabbing hold of Shunsuke's shoulders. "Have you forgotten all the things we have had to endure, because of that bastard you call our father!?" he then asked his twin brother.
Shunsuke knew that Inojin was never letting go of the tough past that they both had to face when they were younger. Being the children of a former international criminal was not as easy as many thought it was. Sasuke may had been pardoned for his crimes, yet many citizens of the Leaf still held grudges against the raven-haired man.
Flashback, outside the Ninja Academy
It was target practicing at the Academy and many of the young children were already beginning to learn how to throw kunai and shuriken. It was part of the education, in preparing the young students in becoming good shinobis. But on the practice field, there was only one little boy who were trying his best to throw kunai and shuriken. And that little boy was Shunsuke Uchiha.
The young boy was trying his best to throw his tools at the targets, but each time he tried, he failed, as the kunai only landed on the ground before reaching the target. This only made the young boy filled with distress, as he had stayed behind the Academy to practice more, as that was something his parents had recommended him.
"Aww no…I keep missing!" young Shunsuke whined as he watched how there was no kunai or shuriken stuck on the target. Sighing deeply, Shunsuke sat down to his knees and reached for a book beside him. This book was something he had loaned from the library and it was all about how to master the use of ninja tools, including the kunai and shuriken. Shunsuke scrolled some pages while looking for the page that explained throwing kunai and shuriken. "This is very difficult to understand. But it's just as mommy and daddy says: I need to be patient and focused at the same time" the raven-haired boy noted in his head, eventually forcing a smile while thinking about this.
But while he was sitting and reading, Shunsuke snapped when he could hear someone approaching him slowly. Shunsuke first wondered if it was one of the instructors, so he turned around to speak with a smile.
"I-I'm doing fine here, sens…." Shunsuke was out of the blue kicked, thus sent rolling onto the dirt. He groaned in pain and tears started streaming from his eyes and looked up to see who had done that. "No…" Shunsuke uttered out while tears were streaming from his eyes.
Looking up, he could see three older boys standing before him with bullying glances. The one in the middle was their leader, who wore glasses and wore a black gat. The one on his left was a tall ball-headed boy with a golden necklace around him while the one on his right was a boy with a red Mohawk as his hairstyle.
"Hey there, Shunsuke! How's it going?" the four-eyed boy asked while facing him smugly. "I was wondering whether you had run back to your mom in that stinking flower shop you live in!" he added, causing him and his buddies to laugh out loud.
Shunsuke had not said anything, and was slowly getting up on his feet, but was held down by the bald-headed boy with his foot. It felt painful for Shunsuke and he screamed in agony.
"Shut up, you whiney gnome!" the boy with the Mohawk suddenly kicked Shunsuke in the nose and both it and the mouth were bleeding. But the bullies noticed the kunai and shuriken that were stuck in the ground. "Hah, you haven't managed to hit the target once!? You suck!" he then kept badmouthing Shunsuke, who felt powerless.
The leader suddenly got an idea and motioned for both his buddies to listen closely. "Hey guys! I just got an idea! How about we do some target practicing with this little shrimp right here? He can be our target!" he suggested to them.
Both boys cheered for that suggestion, as they gladly liked the idea. "Yeah! We do that and then fill Shunsuke's pants with water afterwards!" the baldheaded boy said, as he and the Mohawk boy began lifting up the young and innocent boy. They were carrying him towards the target, hoping to hang him and use as a toy for throwing kunai at.
The four-eyed boy was laughing sadistically when seeing this and was ready to join the fun with his buddies. But as he was following him, someone threw a wrench at the boy's left cheek, thus hitting it hard. The wrench even managed to hit the boy's mouth and it hurt badly, causing even his lips to bleed.
"Motherfucker! Who the hell threw this at me!?" he angrily asked as both his buddies rushed to his side. To their surprises, they saw a young boy, who looked similar to Shunsuke, except for that his hair reached to his shoulders. This was Shunsuke's twin brother: Inojin Uchiha. The raven-haired boy was holding a pipe in his right hand was glaring at the boys angrily. "Tch….its Inojin" the four-eyed boy spat out while wiping off the blood on his mouth.
Shunsuke's black eyes widened as he got a glimpse of his twin brother standing there with the pipe in his hand. "Brother…" he said lowly.
Inojin took a few steps forward. "You let my brother go, unless you wanna end up in hospital!" Inojin spoke up, his voice too stern for someone at his age.
The Mohawk boy only scoffed at his words and joined his comrades in facing off against the young boy. "You, sending us to hospital!? You are way over your head, you brat!" he said to Inojin.
"We'll be the ones to send you and Shunsuke to hospital! And once you're there, your mom has to pay the medical bills, since your dad is not with her. Who knows? Maybe she's broke and has no money to pay them, so she will need to sell her attractive body to people on the streets!" the baldheaded boy spoke with venom, thereby causing all the bullies to laugh together, but the baldheaded boy was not yet finished. "Your mom is no florist! She's a whore! She should know better than to fuck a criminal like your dad!" he added more venomous words.
Hearing this caused Shunsuke to feel sad, while Inojin started to tighten his grp on the pipe and the raven-haired boy gritted his teeth in anger over hearing how the bullies took pleasure in badmouthing their mother. He could not take it anymore, and he glared daggers at them. The three bullies charged and it was the Mohawk kid who was first to attack.
"I'm gonna beat you up, monster!" the boy yelled and landed his fist at Inojin, only for the boy with the ponytail to simply avoid it by jumping in the air. He then landed on the punk's face with his sandals and it felt painful for him. But Inojin was not yet finished. Swinging his pipe, he slammed the Mohawk kid's right cheek, forcing both teeth and blood out of his mouth.
"You little shit!" the four-eyed boy yelled and charged at Inojin, only for the young boy to grab his wrench and throw it directly at the boy's face, thus hitting and shattering his glasses. But the wrench had landed on his forehead, and the boy fell onto the ground with his face bleeding.
As Inojin stood and watched them, both bullies had been knocked out cold, as if they had received a concussion. But the fight was far from over, as the baldheaded boy tried to catch Inojin, only for the raven-haired boy to use his pipe to make the bully fall onto his stomach.
While the bully was about to rise up, he felt his golden necklace being pushed against his throat, thereby choking him. Inojin was now standing on the boy's back while dragging the necklace further backwards, with no remorse of his actions.
"Stop! Please! I give up!" the baldheaded bully suddenly begged, yet Itachi did not stop.
"What as that you were saying!?" Inojin yelled and continued to pull the necklace, much to the bully's pain and suffering.
"I GIVE UP! LET ME GO! PLEASE!" the boy pleaded once again.
Seeing how serious he was about it, Inojin let go of the necklace and then got off the bully. But Itachi was not yet finished, as he suddenly slammed the pipe on the neck behind the baldheaded boy's head and it was incredibly painful for him to feel.
"How do you like that, baldy!?" Inojin suddenly taunted him in a same manner the bullies did. "Do you enjoy pain now!? Are you still gonna call my mom a whore!? Come one! I dare you!" he angrily asked before angrily kicking the bully's face hard.
Shunsuke got up to his feet and tried his best to stop his twin brother from attacking the boy, but he was too late, as Inojn raised his pipe in the air and slam the bully once again. But both he and Shunsuke were stopped by hearing someone enter the practice field.
"Inojin Uchiha! Put that pipe down this instant!" the voice came from one the young instructor of the twin's class. It was a young woman by the name of Keiko Shiranui, who had long, brown hair. But she was not alone, as there were some students who had tagged along to see what had happened, among them Nashiko, Manami and Shikio. The young woman was furious over what she was seeing and approached the young boy with the pipe. "Do you have any idea of what you have done!?" she demanded an answer while kneeling down to his level.
But Inojin remained defiant. "They're not the only ones who has been beaten! Shunsuke was bullied and harassed by these three! I simply intervened to stop them!" he said back and pointed at Shunsuke, who still had bruises and blood running across his face.
"I don't give a rat's behind about your twin brother!" Keiko snapped back and noticed the other students watching. "What are you kids doing here!? Get back to your assignments! This is not for you!" she yelled at them, forcing the kids to exit the practice field.
All of a sudden, a group of medics arrived and with them came Ibiki Morino. Keiko ran straight to them, having called upon both them and Ibiki. The stern-faced man glanced upon the scene and saw the three unconscious bullies and the Uchiha-Yamanaka twins. He faced the young woman. "What happened here, Keiko?" he asked her while wanting to know.
The young woman pointed her finger at Inojin and faced him. "That little troublemaker attacked these three boys with a pipe for no reason!" she answered.
Inojin gritted his teeth in anger over hearing this. "Those three were bullying my twin brother and saying mean stuff about our mom!" he yelled to make them see the picture. "If those three had only left my brother alone, none of this would've happened!" he then tried to justify.
Keiko was not amused by his words. "You do not justify such despicable actions, Inojin! I have had enough of your insane tantrums!" she strictly berated the young boy. "You'll get two weeks of detention in class as a result!" she then revealed with a punishment.
"That's not fair! Those free also deserve some punishment for bullying Shunsuke!" Inojin hit back.
Keiko got angry when seeing this. "I swear, if you keep talking to me like that, I will make sure you…." the young instructor was held back by Ibiki, who glanced at her with a strict expression, causing her to snap in realization. "Yes. I apologize, Ibiki-sensei" she told him.
"You must learn to control your outbursts, Keiko. You know better than to let a mere boy get the best of you" Ibiki strictly told her, before facing the twins. "Why don't you follow the medics to the hospital? I will take care of these boys. I have called their mother and she will be here soon to pick them up" he then suggested to her.
Knowing better than to argue, Keiko took her leave, without even saying anything. With her gone, Ibiki focused his attention on the twins, with Inojin angrily glancing at him.
"What do you want?" he rudely asked him.
Ibiki kept staring at him sternly. "Watch your mouth, boy. You really don't wanna see me when I'm angry" the tall man sternly told him before motioning for both him and Shunsuke to follow them. "You two can just wait by entrance. Your mom will come and pick you up soon" he told them.
The twins now sat by the entrance to the Ninja Academy, sitting distant from each other. Shunsuke was still having bruises and was bleeding, while Inojin simply sat with his arms crossed and faced the ground. There was silence between those two boys. But Shunsuke was suddenly approached by Nashiko, who had her mother with her.
"Oh my goodness. Shunsuke, what happened to you?" Sakura asked the young boy in a worried tone.
Shunsuke lifted his black eyes to face the young woman with teary eyes. "I was practicing throwing kunai, but then three boys from the older classes came and picked on me. They kicked me and held me down to the ground" he replied while holding back his tears.
Nashiko was very curious when hearing this. "Why were they picking on you?" she asked while feeling sorry for Shunsuke being resorted to this.
"He will tell you this later, Nashiko" Sakura said and sat beside the raven-haired boy. "Here, let me treat your injuries. I was told that you were bleeding and had bruises" she said and began her treatment of young Shunsuke.
Nashiko watched as Shunsuke was feeling sad and faced the ground, but she eventually faced Inojin, who had still not looked at Shunsuke, even as he was being treated for his injuries. The young pinkette had never seen Inojin being that aggressive before, as she had known the twin brothers since they were all babies.
Suddenly, they could hear steps running towards them and Ino arrived, her only visible eye filled with tears over seeing Shunsuke like this. Ibiki arroved soon after, indicating that he and Ino had been talking about what had just happened.
Sakura smiled at Ino. "Here, I have treated his bleeding. His bruise marks are almost gone, but it will take a day before it vanishes completely" the pinkette faced the blondie, who nodded her head in return.
"Thanks Sakura" Ino said and suddenly embraced Shunsuke in a tight hug, with the young boy returning it. "Oh Shunsuke…I'm so sorry…..for not being there at the right time" she said while sobbing between her sentences.
Ibiko could not help but to smile slightly when seeing this, yet he sighed when he knew he had to interrupt her. "Ino, lend your hands to the boys and follow me. I'll lead you home" the stern-headed man surprisingly said in a compassionate way.
Ino decided to carry poor Shunsuke, while she reached her hand out to Inojin, who reluctantly accepted it. The blonde-haired woman was also feeling sad over hearing what Inojin had done to the bullies, as they were now hospitalized. Befroe she followed Ibiki, Ino faced Sakura one last time with a nod of appreciation before walking away. Sakura smiled warmly in return, although she sighed once their backs were against her and Nashiko.
"Mommy, I still wanna be friends with them" little Nashiko said to her mother.
Sakura faced her daughter with a smile of her own. "Of course, you shall continue with that, Nashiko. Do not forget that when I was at your age, me and their mom Ino were the best of friends. We learned much from each other" she told the young pinkette.
Nashiko suddenly fixed a curious glance on her face. "But weren't you and daddy friends with Inojin and Shunsuke's dad as well?" she suddenly quizzed her.
"Yes, and we still are, even today" Sakura answered her daughter with a sweet smile as always.
While wandering through the streets of the Leaf Village, the Uchiha-Yamanaka twins could feel all the cold stares they were received by the villagers, yet Ino focused her attention forwards. She even ignored some villagers who called her the very inappropriate words. However, her twin boys could hear what they were saying.
"Slut" someone was heard saying.
"Uchiha-whore!" another one could be heard.
"Kill yourself" another one said out of the blue.
Ino kept ignoring them, although those words really hurt her on the inside. But she actually stopped when she saw Ibiki stopping on his tracks. The tall man was beginning to look around him, facing those who had been staring at Ino and her sons, as well as those who had said those nasty words.
"Listen villagers, there are two children here and they can hear everything you say and see what you're doing. So for the sake of these two boys, I ask that you stop badmouthing their mother and begin acting like adults. If you wanna be a hero or a showoff then have the balls to say those words right to my face" Ibiki sternly told all villagers, who had been doing these actions.
With that being said, most of the villagers moved on, knowing better than to talk back to the commander of the Interrogation Squad. They soon reached the Yamanaka Flower Shop and the boys were standing inside, with Ino having a few words with Ibiki at the door.
"There was no need for you to be sticking up for me back there, commander" Ino told her former superior, who simply made a gesture for her to stop.
"I didn't just stick up for you, Ino. I also stuck up for your sons. They don't deserve to hear such words about you" he assured the blondie, who eventually began facing the ground with a sad expression. Ibiki smiled softly and held her shoulder. "Look, you don't have to visit the hospital later to meet with whatever parents those lousy thugs have. For the rest of the day, I want you to stay here with your children. And make sure that they are protected and that they are in your home for the rest of the day. I will go and step in for you" the man told her.
Ino was on the verge of crying, but when she heard what Ibiki just said, her only visible eye widened in surprise. "You would do that for me?" she asked him.
Ibiki simply nodded his head as a yes. "You're already a hardworking mother owning this flower shop. You don't deserve to be exposed to more stress. However, I will rather convince the instructors to visit your home. Then, you and they can have this discussion" he told her.
The blondie smiled warmly and nodded her head in appreciation. "Thank you, captain. I appreciate it greatly" she spoke from the bottom of her heart.
"Anything for one of my favorite subordinates" Ibiki said with slight humor in his voice before taking his leave. "Take care of your family, Ino" he said to her as he left.
As Ino shut the door, she faced both her sons, although she had her blue eye specifically fixed upon Inojin, a hint of disappointment and distress lodged in it. The blondie went down to her children's' level and held Inojin's small shoulders while facing him.
"Inojin, why?" Ino asked lowly while facing the young boy. "Why do you have to get into trouble all the time?" she asked once again, wanting an answer from Inojin, who only glanced at the ground before facing his mother.
"I just wanted to protect Shunsuke from harm, mom. Those bullies were picking on him senselessly" Itachi simply replied while trying to justify his actions. "And they even called you names for being married to dad" he then added.
Ino's blue eye widened with surprise before she came back to normal, sighing deeply in the process. The blondie began feeling somewhat let down and faced her own lap with nothing but sadness. "So even the small kids call me a slut and other mean form for names?" she wondered, only to notice both Inojin and Shunsuke embracing their mother. Ino happily returned it, and her sad expression soon vanished, as she realized something. "I don't give a damn what they are saying. They don't trust what they can't explain. But I have two wonderful boys that I will take care off, with both support and love" she added to her thoughts.
All of a sudden, the entrance to the flower shop opened and Ino turned around and smiled happily. She ran straight towards the one standing at the door and hugged him. It was her husband, as well as the boys' father: Sasuke Uchiha. He had arrived with a pot of purple clematis and Ino was happy for what he had brought with him.
"Oh Sasuke, those clematis are just beautiful. I can't believe you brought them from your time in the fields" Ino exclaimed and received the pot from Sasuke. "I will make sure that they are taken care off in this flower ship, that I will" she added with confidence in her voice.
While she took care of that, Sasuke was suddenly approached by his sons, and the raven-haired man leaned down to see both Iinojin and Shunsuke. While he noticed that there were some bruises on Shunsuke's face, Sasuke decided not to focus on those and was warmly received by Shunsuke.
"I've missed you, daddy" Shunsuke said while his father patted his back in return.
While accepting the hug from him, Sasuke could glance at Itachi, who was simply watching him from the sidelines with his slightly angered glance.
Despite seeing how angry Iinojin was, Sasuke smiled slightly and suddenly began poking his other twin son's forehead, causing him to snap in surprise and fall on his behind. However, Inojin was no longer staring at Sasuke with anger, only curiosity.
"Why so serious? Aren't you happy that your own father has returned home?" he then asked him.
Although it took some seconds, Inojin eventually formed a slight smile on his face while seeing his father. The young boy had never really known why his father was hated amongst the villagers. He would eventually find out more later, as he grew older.
Back to the present, inside a giant stadium, the Village Hidden in the Leaves
Back in the battleground, there was still silence between Inojin and Shunsuke, as the two brothers faced each other, with Shunsuke holding his right hand. Apparently, they had reflected on their past.
"What happened in the past, stays in the past" Shunsuke suddenly said after moments of silence. "There are many episodes that I also know was hard for us both to withstand. But in the end, we should both be grateful to what we have. Because unlike father, we have a family that takes care of us…..loves us…nurturing us" the raven-haired boy added to his statement.
Inojin stood and listened, realizing what he meant. True, unlike Sasuke, who became lost to darkness after his family and clan were massacred, both him and Shunsuke had always someone to seek comfort from. While Sasuke was not necessarily the case, it was actually Ino, who filled in that role. She had truly given the twins both love and support, like a real mother should. Sometimes, Inojin even noted that the one who always kept the family together, was her.
"So, this is what you mean, Shunsuke?" Inojin asked his twin brother, before kicking him in his stomach, thus sending him a few feet away. Shunsuke managed to gain hold on himself and stood still, although he was rubbing his stomach while facing Itachi with a slight glare. "You think that if I let go of my ambitions, you believe you can win against me?" he then asked.
Shunsuke's black eyes widened in surprise. "What are you talking about?" he asked and began taking a few steps towards the boy with the ponytail. "What I'm trying to say is….." he was suddenly interrupted by Inojin.
"Stay there!" Inojin snapped at his twin brother and before everyone in the stadium knew it, a gust of wind almost managed to hit Shunsuke, although he fell backwards.
All of a sudden, a hurricane interrupted the match and powerful winds blew through the stadium, but that was not just it. Even now, everyone could feel an earthquake shake the entire stadium and the spectators were distressed over feeling this.
"What the hell?" Naruto asked lowly while feeling the winds and facing the battleground. "Something's not right here!" he said to his comrades and Tsunade, who had jumped off her seat to assess the situation. She and the others were joined by Gaara and Mei.
"These winds are like a hurricane!" Gaara noted while covering his eyes for the winds.
Back on the battleground, both Inojin and Shunsuke had gotten to Lee, who had also taken notice of the unusual earthquake. But soon, thunders and lighting began striking from the grey clouds that had arrived in above the stadium. And even now, a large crater had been created in the middle of the battleground and out from it, lava began erupting, eventually covering the entire battleground. Seeing this had forced both two boys to jump to the tribunals, where they were joined by a group of shinobis that had gathered in a row.
"Inojin! Shunsuke!" the twins heard the voice of Nashiko, as she and others they knew appeared before them. The young pinkette was smiling at the two boys. "I'm so glad that you're both okay" she told them.
Inojin only gave her a nod in approval, while Shunsuke felt his cheeks reddening over hearing Nashiko caring for her.
Suddenly, everyone could see that there was a gathering of five different beings on the top of the stadium and even the Kages could notice their appearances. However, Kakashi was widening his eyes by what he was seeing.
"No way...they really do exist!" Kakashi noted warily.
Yamato faced him. "What do you mean, Kakashi? Do you know who these terrorists are?" the brown-haired man asked him.
Kakashi faced him with a serious glance. "I would not just call them terrorists, Yamato" he told him and faced up to the five people that were exposing themselves for everyone to see. "I never knew that those five would team up with the likes of this Brotherhood of the Blue moon, considering that all that they desire is nothing but destruction of everything" the white-haired man noted grimly while eyeing them.
"Destruction? Well based upon their powers they seem….no…..NO!" Yamato suddenly came into a realization and faced his comrade with shocking eyes. "They cannot be…HOW IS IT EVEN….." his words of disbelief were interrupted by Kakashi, who only nodded his head at him.
"They are not just some folklore and fairytales. They are….the Five Elemental Ascendants" he revealed grimly.
At the top of the stadium, five beings were shown up, with two women and three men. Each of them were engulfed by the five elements that defined their powers. Who were these creatures?
"I am Furue of the Earth" the stout, old woman in her stone-formed body said loudly while gazing down at the people in the spectators. Her hair was long and brown. "And we have been summoned to tell you humans something" she added to her words.
"I am Genzai of the Water" the young man with long hair and his body covered in water said loudly while gazing down on the people below. His hair was sea green and reached to his shoulders. "You humans had been warned about the end of the Five Great Nations, yet none of you took it seriously enough" he added with distaste.
"I am Kazan of the Fire" the muscular, old man with fiery eyes, orange hair and blazing beard said while gazing down. His entire body was fire, magma and lava merged into one. "The almighty Hirohito has tasked us with assisting them in their cause, and we obey what his commands may be" he added to his words.
"I am Juryoku of the Wind" the young man with the weird hat said while facing the people down underneath him. While he wore some clothes, his entire body was wind. "For all of you who are week to face us, flee while you it is still an option" he added with a warning to those who could not fight.
"And I am Eikyo of the Lightning" the young woman with the spikey hair said while her entire body sparkled with lightning. "Say your last prayers, insects! Because today is the day when you will be crushed underneath our war machine!" she added sadistically.
Having each said a word to the spectators, the Five Elemental Ascendants vanished from their spot, but not before being chased by shinobis, among them Naruto. Even now, he and the others could feel the winds of war that blew over the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
To be continued…
Author's note: That was chapter 47. We got to see a good fight between Shunsuke and Inojin, as well as a glimpse of their past. But I had also wanted their fight to be postponed, thanks to what currently took place in the stadium. The next chapter will focus on a battle that will take place in the Leaf Village. It will be more destructive than Orochimaru's invasion, but not on the same level as Pain's invasion. Nevertheless, things are about to get real with both the Elemental Ascendants and the Brotherhood of the Moon joining the party.
And by the way, here we have the voices to each of these Elemental Ascendants.
Furue – Lani Minella
Genzai – Kirby Morrow
Kazan – David Sobolov
Juryoku – Chris Cason
Eikyo – Grey DeLisle