The Road of Life
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and all its characters. I'm just playing around with them.
Hey-ho! Another update! The main story will be starting soon! So hang tight! Also, this may seem weird… But I based Tora's appearance (at least for the face) off Kazuma from Konosuba… I think it's appropriate that I base a reincarnate with another reincarnate…
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sighed as he stared at the Hokage Monument from the roof of the Hokage Tower, or more specifically, his monument, which had a chunk of its right cheek crumbled off. Thankfully, no one had been under the monument at the time. He looked to his side, where there sat two young boys, avoiding his gaze. The bushy haired one had an Uchiha symbol on the back of his shirt, while the other boy was dressed plainly. His brown hair and green eyes were downright plain, if Minato were to be honest.
"So," Minato started. "Who did it?"
The two Chunins guarding the two boys kept their eyes on them, wary of the fact that these very two boys had given the Chunins more trouble than they should've. It wasn't exactly something to be prideful about that a pair of five year olds almost eluded a group of experienced ninjas.
So these are the two children that Hiruzen-sama took note of, Minato thought as he looked at the children. They looked calm. Almost too calm for someone that was due for a punishment. Minato had ordered some of his guards to notify their families, and it wouldn't take much longer for the message to arrive.
"Who did it?" Minato asked again, this time crouching down to their level. "If you tell me who did it, we can keep this short, and your parents can take you both back home."
"Does it matter?" the bushy haired boy spoke up. Shisui, if Minato remembered correctly. "It's not like either of us is gonna escape punishment."
"You're right," Minato said. "But I still want to know, for future references."
Minato could already see the other boy, Tora, narrowing his eyes. He knew that Minato had marked the both of them as troublemakers, and would probably assign academy instructors to watch their behaviors in the academy. They have the smarts. Just have to work on their sass, he thought.
"Neither of us remembers," Tora answered. Minato looked at him in interest; taking the kunai they had been using the slide down the statue. He took a look at it. The tip was a bit blunt from use.
"Neither of you?"
Tora huffed. "We've been doing a competition on who could slide down faster for the past few days," he said.
"And I'm sure that part of the statue couldn't hold the constant abuse," Minato mused, a small hint of amusement in his voice.
"Weak-ass statues," Tora grumbled under his breath. Though given the presence of Chunins on the roof, it didn't exactly go unheard.
"Hey!" hollered one of the Chunins. "Show some respect in front of Hokage-sama!" Minato held up a hand to silence the Chunin.
"It's fine," Minato said. "This was just a little accident while training, right?" he asked with a small smile. It didn't look very warm, but it wasn't menacing either. It was a smile specifically used for scolding a child.
Tora and Shisui nodded at the Hokage's statement, not really wanting to get into more trouble. "So you two would be fine on helping the reconstruction, right?" Minato asked.
Shisui and Tora groaned. Minato smiled and patted both of their heads. "Don't worry. I'll have one of my trusted men to look after you. He has just returned from a mission and may need something to distract him. Besides, you may learn some cool things from him before even going to the academy. How's that sound?"
Both children didn't show their enthusiasm outwardly, but even Minato could feel the energy radiating from them at the mention of learning new things. "What will we be doing?" Shisui asked.
"Just some odd work to help around. Maybe bring in some materials, help prepare the rations, who knows?" Minato shrugged in a casual way that seemed very un-Hokage-like. And frankly, Minato did not care much for his appearance when talking to a bunch of children.
"Hokage-sama. What about our parents?" Tora questioned.
Minato smiled. "Don't worry," he assured. "I've sent out a few Chunins to inform both of your parents. They should already be waiting for you back home."
"I… don't see why we shouldn't worry," Shisui deadpanned.
"You'll be fine," Minato smiled. "I expect you boys helping with the monument at ten in the morning. Don't be late!"
"Well, yesterday went better than expected," Shisui grinned.
I looked at him, perplexed at his joy. "It's only because your dad was there to dissuade my mom. Who knows what'd happen to me," I said.
"Still, what a slave driver," Shisui mused. "You think the Hokage is just as harsh with his students?"
"How the hell should I now? I just want to get this over with."
"We do kind of deserve this," Shisui chuckled. I pocketed my hands and breathed out a long sigh. Both of us walked towards the direction of the monument. I stretched my neck, satisfied at the small pop that came from it. We would've just bailed out of the punishment, but we knew that it would just bring my mom's ire. And I don't trust Shisui's dad to bail us out a second time. Even he had his limits on the shenanigans we do.
"Who do you think we'll meet?" Shisui asked me.
"I don't know. The Fourth said that it would be one of his trusted men?" I asked back. Shisui nodded.
"Not a lot of men that I could think of. Certainly not an Uchiha, though. I only remember Hokage-sama conversing with Fugaku-san and no one else," Shisui said, crossing his arms behind his head.
It was a quiet affair, walking through the village, that is. Shisui and I rarely travel through the village using normal means. It was always running and jumping for us, at least when we're not with Itachi. Then again, we never really venture far from the compound when we're with Itachi.
It wasn't long before we arrived at the base of the monument. Just before climbing up the stairs to the top, both of us sensed a presence close to us. It was obvious that the newcomer wasn't even hiding his presence, because as we turned around, we found ourselves staring at a silver haired teenager.
He was wearing a dark-colored mask, hiding most of his face. His forehead protector was slanted to hide his left eye. His outfit seemed casual, yet practical. A simple black and grey shirt as well as a pair of trousers and the customary ninja sandals, as well as a pair of dark fingerless gloves. A ninjato was strapped on his back, but I was sure that he had a variety of other weapons stashed away somewhere. He looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old, and yet his eyes seemed much older.
"So you're the brats I'm supposed to babysit today, huh?" the teenager drawled. Shisui and I looked at each other, unsure of what to do in front of the ninja. "Sensei must be crazy if he thinks this will help me relax," he continued, grumbling under his breath.
"Who are you?" I asked with little certainty. "Hokage-sama said that one of his men would meet us here to oversee us," I said. I made myself seem polite, just in case.
"Sensei did, didn't he?" the teenager sighed.
Both of us nodded. The fact that the young teenager staring down at us called the Hokage sensei signified their close relationship. Shisui looked at me, apparently wondering the same thing I did. Could we get a few useful things out of the irritable teen?
"Come along, then," the teen sighed before pulling out a small orange book from his hind pack. I couldn't read the cover, as the silver-haired ninja walked past us without even missing a beat. Not seeing any other option, Shisui and I followed him to the top of the Hokage monument. The climb up the stairs was silent, the three of us not uttering a single word.
"Um, excuse me," I called out. The teenager turned around to face us as we neared the top. "Who are you?" I asked again.
"Do we really need to introduce ourselves?" he groaned. "I'm just supposed to look after you kids for today."
"Would that be so bad?" Shisui asked, raising an eyebrow. "A little familiarity wouldn't hurt anyone. And besides," he grinned. "You may just meet us sometime in the future."
"I really hope not," he narrowed his eyes. "So be it, then. I'm Kakashi."
"Tora," I continued.
"Shisui!"
"Yes, yes. Introductions are out of the way. Now let's go help with the reparation," Kakashi sighed. He turned around and glued his eyes to his orange book, not even bothering to check if we were following. He probably knew. His hearing was probably sharp enough.
As we arrived on top of the Hokage monument, Kakashi flopped down on a fallen log near the forest and started reading. I looked at Shisui, who was just as confused.
"Kakashi-san," Shisui called out.
"Hm?" he flipped to another page.
"What should we be doing?"
"What the Hokage ordered you to do," Kakashi curtly answered.
"He's hopeless," I sighed at Shisui. "Come on, let's just help the workers. The sooner we're done, the better."
"Hold up, Tora," Shisui held up a hand. I complied, waiting for what Shisui had in mind. "Kakashi-san."
"Hm?" Kakashi hummed, turning to another page.
"How about we make a deal?" Shisui offered.
It was then that Kakashi finally looked up from his book. His single eye held a hint of irritation, but a bit of interest as well. "A deal?" he questioned.
Shisui nodded. "If we managed to help the workers fix the hole by the end of the day, we want you to teach us something useful." Kakashi leaned his head against his hand, contemplating his options. It wasn't long before he gave his answer.
"Sure," he answered noncommittally, obviously not expecting children like us to stand by our words. Well, with Shisui's words, I was tempted to prove him wrong.
"Thanks!" Shisui beamed, before pulling my hand towards the monument. Shisui put an arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "Thankfully, the hole we created isn't that large. If we hurry, we might finish before afternoon comes by," he whispered to me.
"Sure," I smiled. "Let's fulfill our end of the deal!" We closed our talk with a small fist bump before fully committing into our work today, running towards one of the workers for directions.
"I have to say, it's nice to meet you, Seiji-san," Mori Akemi said as she served him a cup of tea. "Tora and Shisui are rather close. I've never seen him so excited to go outside, not even with Itachi."
Seiji graciously accepted his cup before taking a small sip. "I have to say the same with Shisui. He was never interested in spending time with anyone other than Itachi." Akemi sat across him on the dining table. "This is a nice place you have here," Seiji praised.
Akemi waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh, don't be silly. It's a mess," she said. "I never really have the time for cleaning, and Tora's focusing on training."
"Still, it's comfortable. And Tora grew up fine under you," Seiji said.
Akemi scoffed, leaning one arm against the table, her green eyes set on Seiji. "With the stunt he pulled yesterday, he could've fooled me. When the Hokage's men came to my door, I was expecting the worst."
"They're children," Seiji chuckled. "Sure, they're not very normal children, but I say let them be kids for a while. It won't be long before the village sends them outside, especially with the rate of their training."
Akemi was silent for a while, staring at her cup of tea. Seiji thought he had struck something with her, especially as he noted the photos on the wall and the absence of the older male in the pictures. "You're a ninja, right, Seiji-san?"
"I am," he answered. "As are most of the Uchihas. Why?"
"It's just…" she rubbed her arms. "I don't really approve of Tora being a ninja," she admitted. "I've lost both my brother and husband to the profession."
Seiji blinked. "Tora never mentioned an uncle," he said.
"I've never told him. And it's not like he's my biological brother," she said, taking a sip of her tea. The hot liquid washed down her mouth, cleansing the uneasiness off of her. "He found me and took me in for a few years. He was always gone on missions."
Seiji did not prod. He knew how the story ended. The man probably never returned after saying his goodbyes for a mission. Like Tora's father, it was a fate all too common these days in their world. "I can't say I know how you feel, but I kind of understand," Seiji admitted. "We Uchihas are kind of expected to be ninjas."
"Did you…" Akemi put her cup down and stared at the table, as if embarrassed to ask him something. "Did you ever dream of being anything else?"
Seiji raised an eyebrow in interest. Akemi mistook it for a gesture of being offended. She raised her arms and shook them vehemently, her face contorting into a panic expression. "I mean- you don't have to answer them if you don't have one!"
Seiji couldn't hold himself. It started out as a chuckle, but soon enough, he was sent into a laughing fit. Akemi stopped with her antics and looked at her guest, this time, she was the one feeling annoyed. "What's with the laughing?" she demanded.
"Sorry," Seiji breathed, rubbing a hand on his bushy black hair. "I can see where Tora got his curiosity from, though he was a bit less crude."
Akemi puffed out her cheeks, a pout forming on her expression. "That's not nice," she complained.
"We Uchihas aren't exactly known for being nice," Seiji retorted, taking a sip from his tea.
"After seeing your clansmen, I don't doubt that. Though if by being "not nice", they start acting more like you, I wouldn't mind it one bit," she said. Seiji raised another eyebrow at the statement. It was only a full five seconds later that Akemi realized just what came out of her mouth.
"Aah! I don't mean it like that! You're nice, but also kind of mean, but I like that you're mean… That came out wrong…"
Seiji chuckled again. He certainly did not regret visiting Tora's mother. It was a nice way to spend the day, especially since Shisui began to go out more and he was having fewer and less risky missions. He had personally requested a few weeks of time off. It was nice to take a break from time to time. "To answer your question, though. I had dreamed of travelling the world," Seiji answered, taking the topic away from Akemi's embarrassing episode.
She hummed. "That's quite a dream. Certainly a much grander one than mine," Akemi fidgeted.
"I don't think a dream is supposed to be grander than another," Seiji said, a look of nostalgia flashing in his eyes. "It's just something you gotta go after."
"Did you say that to Tora, too?" Akemi smiled.
"How'd you know?"
"I have a feeling," she shrugged. She took a sip from her tea before glancing at the clock on the wall. "Oh, no!"
"What is it?" Seiji perked up, surprised at Akemi's sudden rise in voice.
"The shop I'm supposed to buy supplies from is closing in a few hours!"
"It's eleven," Seiji said, looking at the clock.
Akemi stood up and drank the rest of her tea. She let out a loud 'blah' as the warm liquid ran down her throat. "The owner is old and doesn't keep the shop open for long. Sorry, but I got to go."
"Wait!" Seiji stopped her. "Let me go with you."
"Eh?" she paused. "I don't want to be impose."
"It's not like I have anything to do for the rest of the day," Seiji stood up before finishing the rest of his tea as well. "I'll wait for you outside."
"Ah, okay." Akemi immediately flew to her room the moment Seiji had exited the shop, the clicking of front door echoing through the empty house. She grabbed her purse, before looking at her disheveled appearance in the mirror. "I can't go out like this!"
For the first time in years, Akemi made herself look more presentable than usual. God, she felt like a teenager again! She felt like it's her first time on a date. Wait? Was this a date?
Kakashi flipped to another page.
The sounds of tools clanking rang through the air. A few shouts from the two kids he was "babysitting" reached his ears. Kakashi turned his eye to the next page.
"Oi! Watch it! It could've fallen off!" said an adult. Probably one of the workers.
"But it didn't! So let's get on with it!" one of the boys retorted. Tora, if Kakashi's memory served him correctly. They certainly were going all out on the work. They might just finish before the day ends.
"You brat!" hollered the man.
"Whoa! Look out below!" Shisui called out, almost too excited.
Kakashi flipped to another page. Ooh! It looks like Ruri is making her move on Kaito. The plot thickens! Kakashi thought, crossing his legs. It wasn't long before he was fully occupied with his book.
And the next, and the next. Time moved fast when one was occupied. When Kakashi took his eyes off his book, the sun was nearly setting, and in front of him stood two disheveled boys, both wearing a matching set of grins on their faces.
"Looks like we made it in time," the Uchiha, Shisui, if Kakashi remembered correctly, put his hands on his hips, a challenging look in his eyes. Sighing, Kakashi shut his book and pocketed it back into his pack.
"Fine. What do you want to know from me?" Kakashi pocketed his hands, his lazy posture kicking up. Obito would have a field day if he ever saw Kakashi in such a posture. The boy would never live it down. Kakashi found himself caring less and less about etiquette time and again. He didn't know whether he should be sagging with relief at being less tense or downright mortified at his bouts of laziness.
The two boys looked at each other before giving a nod, a silent communication going between them. "Teach us how to climb walls with chakra," they said at the same time.
"That's it?" Kakashi asked, a little surprised. Though his half-lidded eye could've fooled anyone.
"Yeah, that's it, really," Tora crossed his arms behind his head. "It's not like we'll be able to do any advanced jutsus that you know."
Kakashi crossed his arms. "It might take a while, you know. Usually, the wall climbing is taught to Genins."
"Just show us the basics!" Shisui cut in. Kakashi looked at the boy, annoyed at his uncouth behavior. "You can show us how to do it, and then we'll practice it on our own!"
Kakashi could certainly agree with that. The sooner he gives out the technique, the sooner he could go home and eat dinner. Fried fish and miso soup again, most likely. It wasn't like he was the best cook in the village. Heck, he bet even Guy could cook better than him, if his 'youthful' meals were anything to go by. They weren't that bad, actually. But Kakashi would sooner choke on his own mask before admitting it to the guy himself.
Kakashi sighed. "Okay, then," he uncrossed his arms. "The first thing to ask is this. Are you able to exert your chakra?"
Tora looked at Shisui. "Well, we did get through the leaf exercise," he laughed.
"So you did, huh?" Kakashi said lazily. "Well, I'll humor you boys."
"Yes!" Shisui gave Tora fist bump. The sight was almost endearing; an Uchiha and a clan-less boy being so familiar with each other. Kakashi would've smiled inwardly if he wasn't so eager to go home.
Kakashi clapped his hands, pulling the attention of the two boys towards him. "First off, is that you have to control the amount of chakra you use. Exerting too much would only propel you backwards, and most likely ruin the surface you were standing on. But exert too little and you won't stick. Are you following?"
It was a simple theory. Both Tora and Shisui nodded at Kakashi's explanation. "Applying this to either your feet or hands will make them stick," Kakashi continued. "I'll do a simple demonstration, and then off you kids go."
Kakashi wordlessly climbed the tree nearest to them. His control was perfect, and both boys looked at his feet like a hawk. Kakashi was now standing sideways on the tall tree trunk. He looked at the boys. "Satisfied?" he asked.
"What about on water?" Shisui asked. Kakashi sighed, narrowing his eyes at the boy.
"Standing on water requires more precise control," Kakashi said. "The principles are the same. It's just the amount of control required that's different. Because of the nature of water, the amount of chakra would be different depending on the surface of the water. Get it?" Both boys nodded.
"Hey!" Tora called to Shisui. "Let's make it a competition! Whoever reaches the top of these trees first will have to treat the other to some tonkatsu!"
Shisui scoffed. "Why settle for tonkatsu? Why not okonomiyaki!"
"Ehh…" Tora crossed his arms. "How about gyudon?"
"You're so cheap!" Shisui shot back.
Kakashi watched the back and forth argument between the two children. He sighed, not remembering even Obito to be this loud. Though, to be fair, Kakashi had always shot down the older boy's remarks. Seeing as the two children kept arguing what to buy each other tomorrow, Kakashi took that as his leave and used a Shunsin to move quickly out of the area. If they were going to practice the technique he had taught them, he would prefer not to be in the vicinity of frustrated shouts and yelps of pain by falling.
It was near ten o'clock. Akemi couldn't stop looking at the clock. The hands ticked by. Seconds turned to minutes and soon turned to an hour. It was now eleven. Tora was not home yet. Where could he be? He never trained this late. Akemi wrung her hands in worry. It was about twenty minutes later that she couldn't hold herself back. She picked up a coat from her wardrobe to shield her from the night and went to the compound to look for Seiji.
Akemi faced the compound's guards. They perked up, recognizing her, especially after seeing her with Seiji earlier that day. "Excuse me," Akemi greeted the guards.
"Yes?" one of them, the burly one said.
"Can you guide me to Seiji Uchiha's house?" she asked. "It's urgent. I promise not to do anything weird. You can supervise me all you want. I just need to talk to him."
They looked a bit unsure. The burly man's partner shrugged, seeing no harm in it. "Come with me," he said, motioning her to follow him. The burly one stayed by the gate, not even looking where Akemi was going, trusting his partner not to do anything unsavory.
It wasn't long before her escort stopped in front of a quaint but comfortable looking house. Akemi took a deep breath and rang the bell in front of the house. "Excuse me!" she called out. She waited for either Seiji or Shisui. She hoped it would be the latter. Shisui would have an inkling of where Tora was. They were inseparable like that.
"What is it, Akemi-san?" Seiji opened the sliding door, seeing Akemi's worried face.
"Is Shisui home?" Akemi asked urgently.
Seiji blinked. "No, actually. It's getting late and I'm getting a little worried," he said.
"Tora isn't home either! Could something happen to them?"
Seiji racked his thoughts. The war was over. But danger in the village wasn't out of the question. There was no reason for Tora and Shisui to be in danger, though. Tora was clan-less, and Shisui had no status importance like Itachi or the newborn Sasuke. He was nowhere near as being the clan heir. Tora and Shisui had no political importance whatsoever.
The only thing he could think of was the one organization that was supposedly disbanded. Even he had only heard an inkling of the organization when he was an Anbu himself. But rumors had it that the organization took children from orphanage, and sometimes, even talented children that weren't even in the orphanage. He wasn't looking forward for those rumors to be proven true.
"Stay here, Akemi-san!" Seiji told her. "I'll try to find the boys!" Akemi nodded and went inside.
"What should I do?" Akemi asked.
Seiji looked at her. She was no ninja. She was a civilian. Akemi had no self-defense skills. Leaving her here alone would be a bad idea. God knows if any threat would target her, ensuring that Tora would fall into their hands. "Kazu!" he called to Akemi's escort.
"Yes?"
"Watch over the house while I'm gone!" Seiji commanded. "If there's anyone suspicious, take them out!" Kazu nodded in a confused daze, unsure of the order, but complying to it either way. Knowing that Akemi was in capable hands, Seiji jumped to a lamp post before sprinting past rooftops looking for his son and his friend.
Seiji looked at the sky, the crescent moon emanating its glow on earth, lighting his path. Being a hidden village, the place wasn't exactly littered with spotlights, though he certainly wished that it was right now. It would be so much help.
Seiji concentrated the chakra in his eyes, activating the familiar blood red eyes of his clan. His three tomoes swirled lazily, granting him a better view of the night. Seiji stopped to a halt and closed his eyes in concentration. He was a good enough censor, if he did say so himself. He tried to feel for the familiar chakras of Tora and Shisui, but couldn't feel any of them within the vicinity.
Damn it! he thought. He took into a run again, not stopping between rooftops. He was near the center of the village now. He ran up a lamp post and crouched on top of it, hoping that the added height would make for a better vantage point. He scanned the surroundings with his Sharingan, but still no success. Closing his eyes again, Seiji tried to feel for Shisui's chakra signature. He still felt nothing. Cursing under his breath, he was about to stop reaching out when a suspiciously fast movement of chakra dashed towards the Hokage Monument. Seiji stilled, unsure if it was a Jounin returning from a mission late at night or not. It was soon followed by another chakra signature. And another. A single presence may be dismissed as a Jounin or an Anbu, but three signatures moving at a fast pace towards the same direction? It was too suspicious for him not to follow.
With a burst of Shunsin, Seiji followed the three chakra signatures, hoping that whoever they were, they hadn't laid a hand on Shisui and Tora.
Seiji was now running up the cliffs of the Hokage Monument, hoping that his son and his friend was still safe. Reaching the top, Seiji pulled out a kunai and prepared for the worst. The clearing was almost too quiet. Almost. It would've been if it weren't for the pair of boys snoring away near the forest. Seiji sighed in relief, but did not let down his guard. He walked towards Shisui and Tora's sleeping figure, taking in their disheveled state and bruised foot. They had taken off their sandals and he could clearly see the angry red marks on the bottom of their feet; signs of chakra exertions.
Seiji looked at the trees. Two of them were littered with slashes. From the kunais in their hand, no doubt. There were a few parts of the trunk that had holes on them. So they were trying to climb with their chakras, huh? I don't remember teaching Shisui that, Seiji mused. Seeing their feet, it dawned on him that there might just be a reason that the tree-climbing technique wasn't taught until the kids were Genin. Still, he noted that the both of them had reached quite a way past half of the trees. They weren't that far off from reaching the top. He couldn't help but feel a surge of pride, more so for Shisui. The moment was cut off when a few rustles reached his ears. The three individuals were here.
Seiji activated his Sharingan, taking in their appearance. They slowly crept out of the bushes, tantos ready in their grips. They all wore masks, each with different animal features. Their cloak didn't hide much of their uniform, which wasn't the standard Anbu uniform. His mind went back to the organization that had just been rumors for him.
"Looks like they weren't just rumors, after all," Seiji muttered. Without a word, two of the cloaked figures rushed towards him, while the remaining one ran to the side towards the boys. Seeing this, Seiji jumped upwards just before the two attackers hit him. Missing him by a hair's breadth, the two attackers looked up, only to be greeted by the soles of Seiji's sandals. Using their heads as a platform, Seiji jumped towards the remaining one. Mid-air, Seiji whipped two kunais and channeled them with wind chakra. He threw them towards the enemy, the wind chakra cutting through the air, giving off a small sizzling sound as it did so.
Hearing the sound, the cloaked Anbu turned his head around. Whipping through the attack, he barely managed to avoid being skewered, the kunais only grazing his right thigh and mask. Seiji pulled out another kunai in an attempt to stab the attacker, but he jumped back, cloak billowing as he did so. Seiji didn't mind. At the very least, they wouldn't get near Shisui and Tora.
Looking at the attackers, Seiji noticed how short they were. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, he'd say that the three of them were a few heads shorter than him. Seiji gritted his teeth. He hated killing kids. Such a waste of talent and life. But he already had his priorities sorted out. For Shisui, he'd kill just about anybody.
The ones he had jumped off rushed at him, the two attackers swinging their tantos at him. Seiji blocked one and narrowly avoided the other, letting their own momentum deliver them towards him. With a swift movement, Seiji brought the kunai that had been blocking the blade to stab the attacker in front of him. At the last second, the masked figure leaned to the side and rolled downwards behind him. Seiji turned around, seeing all three figures standing in front of him, weapons at the ready.
They were about to attack again when they stilled. Looking at each other, a form of communication went by them. Giving each other a nod, Seiji watched as they scrambled away from sight. It wasn't long before Seiji knew why they did just that.
A sharp and powerful chakra presence approached the area Seiji was in, and he soon found himself face to face with the newly appointed Hokage of the village. Minato Namikaze cut an impressive figure with his white coat billowing behind him, no doubt having used his Flying Thunder God technique. Behind him, was a pair of ninjas that were most likely his bodyguards.
"Hokage-same," Seiji greeted with a small bow, deactivating his Sharingan in the process. The young Hokage nodded, looking around the premise.
He waved his hand. "Search the perimeters just in case there's still more lurking!" the Hokage commanded his men. With a quick 'yes', they scrambled away, leaving no evidence that they had been there. The Hokage looked at Seiji, and the Uchiha calmly waited for the inevitable question.
"My men and I sensed a surge of chakra in this area," he said. "Care to tell me what's it about, Uchiha-san?"
Seiji nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama. But, I would prefer if we take this somewhere more secure. It's not safe for the both of them," he pointed at his son and his friend. A look of recognition grazed the Hokage's face before steeling back into the impassive mask of a soldier.
"We'll wait for my men to come back, then we can discuss this in my office," the Hokage said.
"Of course."
Minato folded his hands together, eyes narrowing in frustration. Both he and Hiruzen-sama knew that it would only be a matter of time before Danzo made his move. But Minato hadn't anticipated it to be so soon. Still, his men hadn't found a trace of the Seiji Uchiha's attackers. Without proof, he couldn't point his hands to Danzo. And even if he had those attackers, he doubt he'd be able to. Minato was sure that Danzo would cover all grounds.
"Is that all, Seiji-san?" Minato asked the man in front of him. Seiji Uchiha nodded, having told the entirety of his account to Minato. He couldn't help but notice on how Seiji's eyes kept drifting to the side, where young Shisui and Tora were sleeping soundly, not realizing that they had been just a hair's breadth from being taken away. Childhood ignorance was so blissful. It was a shame that with the rate they're growing in skills, they wouldn't be able to savor those moments for long.
Minato looked at the two boys, sleeping on the chairs provided to them. Their feet had been bandaged to minimize the damage from their training. The rest were superficial damages from falling, scrapes and minor bruises that would heal in a day or two. Their feet, though, would need more time to heal properly. Minato couldn't resist a chuckle when Tora drifted off and leaned his face on Shisui's shoulder, drenching the young Uchiha's shoulder with his drool. Shisui groaned but made no move to remove the annoyance leaning against him, too tired to do so.
"Hokeage-sama, may I propose something?" Seiji asked. Minato blinked in interest, his attention focused on whatever Seiji would propose. Seiji took Minato's silence as a sign to continue.
"I propose that Tora Mori and Akemi Mori, his mother, stay with me until Tora's healed," Seiji said. "Tora is already a target enough. With him indisposed, it'll only raise the bar on him, and I'm afraid that more attempts to take him would result in less than desirable results in his current state. I would prefer if nothing bad happens to Tora and his mother."
Minato raised an eyebrow. "That means they'll be living in the compound," he said.
"I don't mind."
"It's not your opinion that's on my mind," Minato sighed. "You should tell Fugaku-san about this. Marking this as confidential would only raise more questions."
"Of course, Lord Fourth," Seiji answered.
"You know, I could always station Anbus around the Mori household," Minato offered.
Seiji shook his head. "No offense, Lord Fourth, but I would feel more at ease if I were to personally handle them. And besides, I did request a time-off. It might just give me something to do rather than longue around the house."
"I have no doubt it would," Minato said, looking at the two sleeping boys. "You're dismissed, then."
Seiji nodded and walked over to the two boys. "I can't help but feel that this wouldn't be the end with you boys," Seiji muttered. He was about to put Shisui on his shoulders when he realized that he couldn't exactly carry the two boys simultaneously without hurting them further. Sheepishly, he looked at the Hokage. Seiji certainly did not miss the amused look on the blonde's face.
"I have the front of the compound marked," Minato said.
"Yes, please," answered Seiji sheepishly.
"Excuse me!" I let myself in, not even knocking at the door. I watched with a smile as I saw Naruto, the Seventh Hokage, hunching over a mountain of paperwork. His face scrawled with tired lines and his hair was in disarray. "Did you even go home last night?" I asked with a hand on my hip, my dark traveling cloak shifted as I did so.
"Tora-nii," he grumbled. "What brings you here?" he asked, too tired for pleasantries.
"I'm saying my farewells," I said as my mismatched eyes followed Naruto's tired movements. He really looked like he needed a break from all the Hokage work. Naruto stood up and stretched his back, earning a loud pop as he did so. I held back a wince as Naruto sagged in relief.
"You're going back to the Hidden Rain?" Naruto asked.
I nodded. "Though not for long. Konan was thinking of retiring from her position, and my place in Grass would be more than enough for her retirement plan."
"Retirement, huh?" Naruto mused. "I just got the position some years ago, and I'm already looking forward to retirement."
I chuckled. "Admit it. A part of you likes all this work," I said, gesturing towards the paperwork.
"Maybe not the paperwork," Naruto answered, gazing outside the window of the Hokage tower. "But seeing the results of my work always pays off."
I smiled, feeling more than a little proud at him. "Well, I haven't said my farewells to Itachi. I should hurry before recess is over."
"You should," Naruto said, crossing his arms with a smile. "It's still a little surprising, though."
"What? That Itachi became an academy instructor?" I asked. Naruto's answer was just a nod.
I let out a small laugh. "Well, he has always been into history. Makes sense that he'd teach the subject. And besides," I smiled. "It's not every day that students can proudly say that their history teacher is a former Hokage."
I woke up with yet another drenched shirt. Some of these days, I'll get to the bottom of these dreams, and maybe even remember their contents. After taking off my shirt, I looked around my room to look for the wardrobe. Or at least tried to, because I wasn't in my room. And where I would usually sleep on a bed, I was lying in a futon. Blinking in confusion, I tried to stand up, but was cut off from a painful sensation from my feet. Taking the futon off me, I saw that my feet were bandaged. Not too thick, but certainly thick enough that I'd have trouble walking normally.
Is this the result of our training? I asked myself. I scratched my hair, deciding that we may have overdone it a little. I was cut off from my thoughts when the sliding door to the room opened. My mom was there, shoulders sagged in relief at the sight of me waking up. It wasn't long before her face contorted into a barely concealed anger, though.
"You have some explaining to do, Tora Mori!" she pointed at me. "Falling asleep in the middle of nowhere!"
"We were on the Hokage mountain."
"And nearly getting kidnapped!"
"Shisui and I- wait, what?" I realized. "What do you mean?"
My mom sighed, as if she had just aged a year in a single night. "Tora," she said.
"Yes?"
"Seiji-san is talking with Shisui about the matter, so I'll keep this brief and simple," she said, her tone grief. I only nodded dumbly.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Someone tried to kidnap both you and Shisui. I'm not sure where they're from, and Seiji-san wouldn't tell me anything more than that," she said.
"I, uh- can you repeat that?"
She ignored my question and instead put both her hands on my shoulders. I felt small as she held me; a reminder of my age. "I almost lost you," she said gravely. I silently put a hand on hers, both of us sitting in silence.
"Sorry," I muttered. After what felt like minutes, I broke the silence that blanketed us. "Can you help me to where Seiji-san is?"
Mom nodded. "Sure," she said as she helped me stand up. "But wear some shirt first." I saw her hands pointing at a spot in the corner, and noted the neatly folded shirt there. I was obviously not mine, but I wore it nonetheless, figuring that the shirt was Shisui's. After that, I tried to walk with mom's help. It stung a bit, but I was very careful not to put too much pressure whenever I stepped. I held back a wince as I slowly walked down the stairs, eager to get to the bottom set. As I got to the bottom floor, I looked towards the dining room, finding Shisui and his father talking over what looked like breakfast. I licked my lips, realizing how hungry I was after last night's training.
Mom helped me into the dining room, and Seiji-san looked up from where he sat. Shisui gave me a small wave, which I answered back.
"Tora," Seiji-san called to me.
"Yes?"
He sighed. "Quite a few things happened last night. I feel that both you and Shisui should know this."
"Okay," I answered, the words coming out of my mouth automatically, at a loss for words. Seiji-san's expression was serious; the face of a hardened ninja and not of a carefree father. Whatever he wanted to talk to us about was no laughing matter. Shisui looked like he caught up with the mood as well and waited for me to sit down. I just hoped that this wouldn't take long. I longed for anything to fill my stomach.
Another chapter out! I'm sure some of you would question why I would insert that certain moment so early in the story considering how spoiler-ish it is. Well, for starters, I am a firm believer that spoilers enhance the experience. And it was also to show you readers that I know where I'm taking this story. I'm not making things up as I go along.
And no, this isn't a romantic ShisuixTora story. Their relationship will strictly be a brotherly one. So, sorry for those expecting a yaoi story, but it's just not my thing.
So, any thoughts on the current plot? Even better, any thoughts or comments on Tora's dream? Let me know in the reviews, or PM me if you have a more elaborate question. And don't forget to follow and favorite for future updates.