Stuck on the Road of Life

Dreams of Peace

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto, simple enough.

Turns out my schedule isn't as busy as I thought. So that means faster updates! Yay!

For the past five days, I had been spending even more time with Itachi. He was such a quiet kid and also quite smart for his age. He was shy, but wasn't above helping people or being kind. I honestly thought he was a bit too kind for his own good. But I admitted that it was one of his winning points.

The both of us spent time outside the compound since I was still a bit uncomfortable on going in. Itachi said that it was fine, but I still didn't want to go in. On the third day, Itachi admitted that he liked to spend time in the library reading history books. For once, I let him drag me to the library, with our parents' consent of course. While Itachi went through the many history books there, I looked in the fiction area. He asked me what I found so interesting about fiction, as he didn't find it very interesting. I told him that it's a good way to get away from reality for a little while. Itachi shrugged, still not really understanding what I meant.

After a few minutes of rummaging through quite a few books, I found a single title that caught my interest. It had a dusty blank brown cover and it looked like it was close to breaking apart. The cover and pages were worn by time, but still readable. On the dusty cover was the title, written in big writings so it was still easily readable despite its condition.

"The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi…" I muttered. Itachi looked over my shoulder, wondering what made me stop rummaging for books. We stared at it for a few seconds before he spoke up.

"I've never heard of it," said Itachi. I opened the book and examined the pages. The pages were still in a fairly good condition. I read the name of the author out loud for Itachi.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin," I said. Itachi's eyes widened slightly. Right beside the Sannin's name was his signature, the one I remembered seeing in the covers of Icha-Icha from the manga panels. "This book must be old," I continued.

"Do you want to borrow it?" ask Itachi. I looked at him and he shrugged his shoulders. I could see that Itachi was holding a few books about shinobi history. I usually got bored after reading history books. They were mostly the same. Itachi probably wanted to see histories from different point of views, hence the many books in his arms. It surprised me a bit that he could read such advanced books at such a young age. Then again, this was Itachi, after all.

"You think the librarian will just give me this book? I mean, it's not like anyone will ever read this," I said, waving the worn book in one of my hand. Itachi muttered a 'maybe'. Wordlessly, we went to the librarian. She was a middle aged woman with glasses. I'd seen her working here for as long as I could remember. She was a patient woman and rarely got mad at the library's occupants.

"Excuse me," I said, looking up at her desk. She stood up and looked at the both of us. I then lifted up the worn book in my hands, showing the title to her. She blinked confusedly, which meant she didn't recognize this book. The fact that even she didn't even know about this book really spoke of this book's reputation, or lack of.

"I noticed this book rotting away in one of the corners of the library," I continued. It wasn't really rotting away, but a little exaggeration wouldn't hurt anyone, right? Might as well play with her conscience a bit. "Seeing as no one will probably ever read this, can I have this book?"

The librarian looked a little unsure at my request. No one probably ever asked her this question, though it was clearly against the rule, I knew that she was the kind of person that wouldn't let a good book go to waste. At least that was what I observed from her since I first came here a year ago.

"That book belongs to the library, young man," she said, while adjusting her glasses. "You can't simply take a book you want back home."

"But nobody reads this book. The pages are worn, and the cover is so dusty. It is evident that it's not properly taken care of," I said while pointing at the book in my hand. Itachi stared at me, silently communicating with me with his gaze. It said, 'What are you doing?'

"Maybe Hokage-sama should know," I continued, ignoring Itachi. "That the books in this library aren't properly taken care of?" The librarian flinched at that. I had hit a sore spot. I opened the book and showed her Jiraiya's signature.

"Especially since this book is his student's book!" I mentally cackled at the librarian's expression of fear and disbelief. I knew that Hiruzen probably wouldn't even care that much about a small matter such as this, especially since the book itself didn't sell very well at the time of its release, but this was too much fun. Itachi stared at me in silent shock, finally understanding what I was doing. Not that anyone could tell the difference in his expression, but I saw his form went rigid and his eyes widen slightly, if those were any indication.

"No! Don't tell Hokage-sama!" she yelled-whispered. Even at this point, she still remembered that she was in a library. "You can have the book! Just don't tell Hokage-sama!" I had a nagging suspicion that she probably had some more books broken under her watch and she stashed it somewhere as not to be found. But never mind that, our business was done here.

"Thanks, lady! You're so kind!" I exclaimed, before heading out of the library. I turned back to Itachi, forgetting that he hadn't borrowed the books in his arms yet. "I'll wait for you outside, Itachi!" the librarian proceeded to write down and stamped Itachi's books mechanically, as if in a trance. I mentally laughed at her.

"Did you really have to do that?" asked Itachi once we were outside. I kept the small book in my pocket, deciding that I should read it once I got home. It was about late in the afternoon, and it was probably time for us to go home anyway.

"What? No one's going to read this book anyway. I was saving it from a lifetime of neglect," I said, crossing my arms behind my head as we walked home. With my house being so close to the Uchiha Compound, we always went home in the same direction.

"You were pretty insistent in getting that book," continued Itachi. I caught the silent 'Why?' in that statement.

"I just had a good feeling about this book. Like something's pulling me to it," Okay, I completely made that up on the spot, but I was really curious about this book. "And it's Jiraiya-sama. It should be interesting, right?" I flashed Itachi a smile. He sighed at my answer, but I could see the corners of his lips tugging upwards.

"Can you tell me about that book after you read it?" asked Itachi. The way he spoke was quite formal. It was kinda creepy, watching a three year old kid speak like that. Must be all the etiquette training he had…

"Sure, why not?" We went our separate ways at the Compound's gate. After Itachi left, I immediately went home, greeted my mom and went to my room to read the book. When I entered, I flopped down on my bed. It wasn't soft, but far from uncomfortable. The crib has been replaced by a small bed since I was two. I didn't have any toys, even though my mom once offered to buy some. She shrugged it off as one of my eccentricities. There was a window where I could see the road outside and a small desk under it, which I usually use to draw. There was also a desk lamp on it. There were little to no decorations in my room but I didn't really mind about that. There was a family photo between me and my mom hanging right beside the door. It was the exact same copy of the one that currently resided in our living room.

I sat down on my bed and then opened the book. I immediately started on the prologue, intending to finish the book in one go.

I woke up pretty late since I had decided to finish the book in a sitting. It was probably around seven or half past seven. Most kids probably wake up around this time, but I consider this to be pretty late, since I usually wake up at around five, regardless of when I actually slept. I was pretty sure that Itachi, being the clan heir, probably woke up around the same time as I do for training. It made me glad that I wasn't part of any clan.

I lifted my pillow and searched for the book. It wasn't there. I lifted my blanket and searched again. It wasn't there. I sighed, getting tired of this happening all over again. I had a bad habit of misplacing my things if I fall asleep while doing something. I jumped down from the bed. I winced when I landed and cursed my still short height. I looked under the bed. Sure enough, I could see the faint shape of the book. I hope the dust doesn't make its condition even worse.

I tried to reach under the bed for the book. But my arms were just too short. I wondered just how I slept that the book got under the bed. I scrunched up my face, trying to find a solution to reach that damn book. I didn't have any kind of pole or something long to reach it. Then I remembered that mom always kept a broom in the living room for easy access. I ran from my room to the living room and grabbed the broom which was leaning by the window.

Using the broom, I easily pulled the book from under the bed. I smiled triumphantly and examined the broom. The brush end of the broom was caked in dust and I scrunched up my nose, trying not to breathe in any of the dust. Not having any other purpose for it, I placed the broom on my shoulder and proceeded to walk out of the room, book in hand.

Only to walk right into Itachi.

The both of us yelled quite loudly as my foot tangled with one of his. The broom I was holding slipped from my grip and fell right on top of Itachi's face. The both of us coughed, trying to spit out the offending dust from our lungs. Itachi's coughs were worse though, since he just had a faceplant with a broom.

"What *cough* are you *cough* doing here?" I asked Itachi between coughs.

"Your mom *cough* said that you're *cough* still in *cough* your room. I *cough* came to fetch you. She let me in," answered Itachi while still coughing. I tried to answer with an 'Oh', but it came out as another cough instead.

We stood up and dusted our clothes. I leaned the broom against the wall, a little away from where we were standing, not wanting another repeat of the same accident. I picked up my book which fell on the floor when Itachi and I collided.

"You're pretty early, Itachi," I asked him, still dusting off my clothes. Itachi has just finished dusting his face which now looked as clean as ever.

"I thought you said you always wake up early, Tora-san. I figured I could take you to my cousin." I remembered telling Itachi that. Unfortunately, today wasn't one of those days. My mind was still occupied with the book in my hand. Itachi eyed the book with a little curiosity.

"And maybe you can share what you read to me," continued Itachi. Oh yes, I did promise him that. My mom ran down the hall, hands covered in flour. Her eyes were searching for any kind of trouble. We stared at her for a few seconds before she broke the silence.

"Did I just hear yelling!?" she asked loudly. Itachi looked at me, waiting for me to solve this. I narrowed my eyes at him. Itachi did not respond.

"Nothing serious, Oka-san. I just walked into Itachi here," I said, gesturing at Itachi. Mom eyed the broom leaning innocently behind us.

"Didn't I tell you not to play with the broom?" she asked with a sweet voice. I scratched my cheek, pretending to be innocent. While it may have worked on other people, I knew that mom was immune to my acting. She just had a way of seeing through me.

"It took a liking to me, so it followed me," I answered. Itachi stared at me as if I had brain damage. Maybe the reincarnation mumbo jumbo actually did damage my brain. Go figure.

My mom looked at the both of us and sighed quietly. I did say that she could see through me. That meant she even understood the underlying meaning of what I just said. Seeing as there was nothing wrong, she told us off and went back to her work.

I told Itachi to wait in the living room while I brushed my teeth and washed my face. It didn't take long, perhaps around three to five minutes. After I was done, I bid my mom farewell. Mom answered back from the kitchen. Itachi and I went out of my house and walked to the direction of the compound. I realized that to meet Shisui, I had to enter the compound. Itachi noticed my discomfort.

"It's fine, right? Entering the compound?" Itachi asked me, a little unsure. I managed a smile and assured him that it was fine. I wasn't afraid that the clan wouldn't accept me. I could care less about that. What made me uneasy was that the most memorable moment of the Uchiha Compound from the manga was the Uchiha Massacre. I could just see the corpses lining the road, all slain by Itachi. I shuddered at the thought the possibility of having to see that for real. Unfortunately, Itachi noticed me shuddering.

"If you're feeling under the weather, we can do this tomorrow," said Itachi. I assured him that it was fine. He was such a worrywart, like a mother.

We entered the compound. As we passed by the front gate, I could see a few Uchihas lounging near it. Some of them were wearing the Millitary Police uniform or the usual Jounin flak vest. A few stared at me, but soon averted their gaze when they realized that Itachi was accompanying me. Paranoid bastards. I wondered if they were already planning about the coup even now.

"Say, Tora-san," Itachi said. I glanced at him.

"What is it?" I asked. Itachi glanced back at the direction of the gate. I looked back, confused as to what he was glancing at.

"I don't mean to be rude, but…"

"What?" I asked again. I was getting a bit impatient.

"Your mother… she runs a bakery right?" asked Itachi. I raised an eyebrow. It should be pretty obvious to anyone who passed my house. It was small, yes, but the bakery was hardly obscure. I simply nodded at Itachi's question.

"Well, you see… we already have our own bakery in the compound. So, I wonder as to why your mother opened a bakery so close to the compound," said Itachi. I raised both my eyebrows. That was quite a lot of words for Itachi. This must have nagged him for quite a while if he would speak in so many words. Come to think of it, why did mom open her bakery there? She probably knew about the bakery inside the compound. The only regular customers I have seen were the occasional female Uchihas, and they don't come often. Though, Mikoto had been coming to our place a few times already in the last few days.

"You know… I've no idea. I never really thought about it, actually. Maybe I'll ask my mom later," I mused loudly. Itachi silently nodded. That was more like him. We continued to walk for a while before I spoke again.

"Hey, you haven't told me your cousin's name," I said, arms crossed behind my head as we walked. I already knew, of course. But really, why would I tell anyone that?

"His name is Shisui," answered Itachi.

"You said I act a lot like him." Itachi let out a chuckle. That was rare.

"Yes. I could've sworn that you might be related to him. He never stops talking," said Itachi.

"I don't talk all the time," I grumbled. I don't. Seriously.

"No, you don't. But when you start, it's hard for you to stop." That was partly true. I do know when to hold my mouth, thank you.

"Anyway, about that book-

"I think we can talk about it with Shisui. I'm sure he'll be interested as well," Itachi interrupted me. I muttered a 'Fine', silently holding the book which I brought in my pocket. I remembered reading it the night before. It had a solid plot, but full of cliché moments. Most of the action scenes were predictable and some of the dialogues were downright corny. Considering this was Jiraiya's first book, it wasn't a surprise. But considering his later books, this one probably had better plot, in my opinion. At least this book was trying to get a message across to the readers.

I thought about it. Peace. Can such a peace be attained? Humans were a selfish creature. History has proven that fact, both in my old world and this world. Wars happened, caused by the desire for power, greed, revenge and other much pettier reasons. Such an idealized version of this world seemed out of reach.

I knew that the ending of the manga was quite a happy ending. The Shinobi Alliance went on, the characters were making babies with each other, Naruto became the Hokage, Sasuke broke the Curse of Hatred, so on and so on. But how long would that last? I remembered how Madara viewed the world. His reasons, to me, were valid.

Valid? Yes.

Justified? No.

No one should ever have that much power. A power so big that you could just decide to play God. He wanted peace that would last an eternity. It was a noble reason, but there was a limit just how much dreams and reality can be mixed.

To make your dream a reality? Sure.

To make your dream become your reality? It was sad.

I glanced at Itachi. The sacrifices he would make flashed before my eyes. A pacifist by nature, he wanted peace. And yet, to attain that peace he would willingly destroy himself. His life, his reputation, his family, his own well being. Right now, Itachi was no more than an innocent three year old. I knew I could never stop Itachi from growing up. It was beyond my power. I may not even be able to change the things that would happen in the future. I'm just one guy. And honestly, my biggest concern was surviving through all those events, not changing them.

The least that this 'One guy' could do was to be there for Itachi. And maybe I wouldn't even be able to do that. But I can at least try.

That was a more serious chapter, at least towards the end. I did say that updates would be a bit faster. Expect a new chapter in the next few days.

Anyway, have any of you seen the latest Naruto Gaiden? Suigetsu is screwed, don't you say? The ending was rather abrupt, but at least it wraps things up. I'm also planning to make the chapters longer for this story.

Replies to Reviews :

CorpulentCatfish : Thanks. So far, I always had trouble committing to a story, but I think I might be able to do so with this one.

I hope I won't drop this. That's not exactly oozing with confidence, is it? Anyway, I plan to take this a little slow, so interactions with Naruto might come a bit later. And yes, we need more boys in the fandom!

And it's kinda early, but I would like some suggestion about pairings. Should there be one or not? I have some ideas in mind, but it would be best to consider my options first. If any of you have some suggestion, you can PM me if you want.

Follow, favorite and review, guys. I'll see you later.