I do not own Naruto as a game, Manga, Anime series or a character. All original characters are mine though :P
Hi no Ishi (The will of Fire) - Five Ninja Academy Students
It's been a week since the Ninja-tag games. Class is back in full swing. However, it seems that certain students are holding back some painful secrets. What are they hiding? And why?
All underlined terms are explained at the end of the chapter.
~Flashback Chapter, Tatsuko's POV~
"Tsu-chan, do you want me to brush back your hair for you?" Tou-chan asked. I had just gotten out of the furo, which was obvious since my hair was still fairly damp.
"Yes please!" I smiled brightly at him. I sat on his lap, turning my back to him to make his job easier. He brushed slowly, trying not to pull through my hair too hard. He knew I was never crazy about brushing my hair. If it wasn't for Tou-chan asking, or it didn't directly affect my ballet, music or training with Tou-chan, it likely would never get done at all. Still, it gave me some time every morning and evening... just me and Tou-chan.
"You know, my genin team should be coming over soon. I was hoping that you and Hikaru would join us in our training."
"Oh, so you wanna show off your tomboy daughter and good-at-everything son?" I teased him.
"I have a daughter? I always thought you were just girly." He teased back. I could hear him trying not to laugh. We were always like this, verbal sparring. Tou-chan always said: 'If you had nothing but good memories of people trying to tease you, you could never be taunted into a fight by it.' Whatever that means. I think it's fun that I get to tease him!
"Oh well, I know you love me anyway. So I'm just gonna pretend you're happy about that." I turned my head to the side so he could see me sticking out my tongue at him. "And since when do you call me Tsu-chan?"
"Dunno. It's short enough to use during training. Better than tripping up over all the vowels in your full name." He gently pulled my head straight, mumbling something about me making his job more difficult by resisting.
"Gomen, Ha-ha." I mumbled under my breath. 'Besides, I like my name. Yukikami Tatsuko, I like being called that.'
"Tsu-chan, if you keep teasing me, one of these days I'm going to shave your hair clean off." He threatened playfully.
"Well, if you keep ripping my hair out one by one, I'm gonna be bald soon anyways!" I complained again.
"Woe is me. Why do I have to get the only six year old girl in Konoha that hates looking pretty?" He laughed, finally twisting and wrapping my hair into two low buns, held in place by chakra wire.
"I love to look pretty when I am dancing or practising my flute, but looking pretty right before training with you is a waste of time!"
"A practical girl? How'd that happen? Anyway, let's wait outside for my genin, okay?"
"Kohaku Yasei. Kitsunaga Kenta. Uchiha Itatchi. The three of you were assigned to my team, do you know why?" Tou-chan asked, dripping killing intent by the gallon. The three new genin stood at attention; not just for honouring the man, but fear of him.
"Anyone?" I could see the answers formulate in their eyes, but only one of them seem capable of speech.
"Because we are the best of our year. We are therefore assigned the best possible jounin." The only indication Uchiha was even nervous was the bead of sweat that was rolling down the side of his face.
"WRONG!" The killing intent skyrocketed. No one dared to make another peep. I noticed that their hearts skipped a few beats due to the stress of the situation. Tou-chan can be scary sometimes.
"You are here, because you need the most work." He paced around them in slow, deliberate circles. "The most work, because the advanced classes you each took in the Academy aren't worth shit anywhere else. The most work because you each have an ego the size of Konoha, if not the Hi no Kuni. The most work, because you three have the most potential." Tou-chan let that settle into their minds, still slowly pacing.
"Just so you know, my gakiwill be training with you. They will be the ones that help me straighten you out. You are not to underestimate them for their size or their age. You three should understand better than anyone that size and skill are not the same thing."
"Tsu, I want you to pick one of them to spar with. Taijutsuonly, no fatal injuries." He instructed. So that's why he came up with a nickname for me. Well, it would make sense with Uchiha here. If they think they could ever force me to like any of those pretentious bastards...!
"This one." I nodded at the evil incarnate himself. Before even giving him the chance to doubt me, I took out my fans without unfolding them. They look like mini batons, so it was unlikely he would even guess what they were.
"Tatsuhi-sensei, I do not thi-"
"Uchiha, you can think after you earn my permission to. She chose you, so step forward or take your beating where you stand. The other two lackeys can take a healthy few steps back any time they're ready."
"Again, sensei I don-"
"Begin!" I needed no more permission than that.
I lunged for him in a flurry of attacks. The first attack that landed was a jab into the hollow in the back of his right knee with the blunt tip of my right fan, followed immediately by a glancing rap with the edge of my left fan. I followed through on the horizontal spin I had committed to, hoping to get in enough hits to his leg to impair his movement. This was a personal taijutsu move I developed after combining the ballet class moves, this one was the forward jump version of a simple stand and twist. Gotta love the basics!
Given the height difference - the top of my head barely reached his waist - I knew I had both an advantage and disadvantage over him. The advantage being I was a small - and therefore - difficult target. The disadvantage? I felt like a Chiwawa biting at his ankles.
He dropped to his knee wincing in pain; the shock in his eyes were more than obvious. More importantly, the message his eyes conveyed after the initial shock subsided: it is on!
He dashed at me swinging his arms wide, trying to lure me with a roundhouse punch to set me up for a sucker punch. 'Who does he think he's messing with?' I spun on my left heel, slamming the back of my right foot in the back of the same weakened knee, sending him to his knees once again. Then I flickered out of sight, appearing behind him with one fan placed firmly against his throat, and the other placed in stabbing position above his liver from behind.
"You're dead." I whispered into his ear, then lightly kicked him forward.
"Tsu, let me see your eyes." Tou-chan said evenly. I turned away from him, knowing that I was going to get it for sure. "Now, young lady." He demanded with more of an edge in his tone.
Even though I activated my doujutsu unconsciously, I knew it wouldn't matter. The rules set were clear. I turned to him, with my eyes downcast.
He motioned for me to come closer. 'Dammit, why didn't I pick the amber coloured one? Well, this is what I get for letting my emotions cloud my judgement. I deserve whatever Tou-chan gives me.'
As I walked up to him, I could see Uchiha limping back to his teammates. He was obviously favouring the leg, but he made no complaint or indication he was even vaguely upset.
Daddy squatted just as I took the last step to stand in front of him. Gently, he pushed my chin up with one finger so our eyes could meet. I could see my own eyes reflecting in his. I had never looked at my Hyohiryugan in the mirror before, so I really didn't know what to expect. The pink in my eyes were completely gone, leaving a jade green with gold highlights. My pupil also became elongated, like a slit... it was odd really, but strangely appropriate.
The next thing I noticed was the emotions playing across Tou-chan's eyes. Eyes are always the most expressive part of a person's face; and Tou-chan was no exception. He was disappointed in me.
"Three sprints around Konoha, one to warm up, and one to cool down." He ordered coldly. That meant five laps in total. Harsh, but not unexpected. When he was in 'sensei mode' favouritism didn't exist, family bonds disappeared. He was Kami and everything else had to bow to his will. No exceptions. "And take Hikaru with you, since I specifically told him to keep an eye on his mother."
I heard Karu cursing something fiercely from the tree he had hidden himself in. He was far enough away for me to not notice him, but Tou-chan was never one to be fooled so easily.
"Come on, Karu, let's get going!" I called out to him, not bothering to notice the shock and awe on the genins' faces.
Four and a half hours later - seeing that we had to take our time slowly warming up, then slowly cooling down - we were in our back yard again. Tou-chan was still running his geninragged, seeing that they were all sweating profusely and none of them were breathing normally.
Karu and I quickly announced to Tou-chan that we were done with our laps, knowing that if we hesitated in the least he would make us run more laps.
"Very good. Now, I expect both of you to sit there quietly while I run through the cool down stretches with these three." He pointed at a spot in the shade of a tree, not even taking his ever watchful eyes off the trio in front of him. "I expect you both already did your cool down stretches." That was his way of reminding us to do something. He wouldn't ask, he would state what we should have already done. That was your one chance to do it without his... correction.
I sat down, relaxing my muscles carefully and slowly. Even though I didn't do anything too strenuous, seeing that Tou-chan usually trained Karu and me much harder, I refused to disobey if I had a choice. So instead I just studied the the trio.
Kitsunaga Kenta was the shortest of the three. His neatly combed and styled coppery hair and baby blue eyes struck me as a little odd. His face looked almost pinched together, and he had no eyebrows at all. He was simply a jigsaw puzzle that a two year old put together.
However, even in his acute fatigue, he had a warmth about him. I could tell almost immediately that he was a good person to have around. But the way too tight clothes had to go! There was no way I would train with him if he didn't dress a little better than that. 'Who the hell wears neon orange and lime green!' I was going to have to have a LONG talk with which ever female approved his wardrobe!
The other one though... He was... odd. What was his name? Kohaku... Yasei? Wild Amber? Well, the amber part I understood. It matched his skin tone perfectly. He looked like he spent the last few weeks building up a perfect tan, but I doubted he had the time. His hair was jet black and combed tightly into a high ponytail, but the loose hair at the back seemed to fight gravity with all its might. It also poofed out, making it look like his could hide his whole head in there! It looked a little funny, to be honest.
The serious look on his face made up for it, along with the slightly bushy eyebrows and the silver eyes just below them. What stood out most was the nose. With the other odd features, I expected to find something wrong with everything I saw, but his nose was perfect, elongated... almost elegant. He seemed to have strong lips too, and a soft jawline with a sharp chin.
'This one can dress!' He wore a tight, sleeveless, white kimono shirt over a loose fitting, black hakama. On his left arm, right in the middle, he proudly wore a tattoo. I don't know how I knew he wore it proudly, but it just stuck out so much that he must have been proud of it. It was a yin and yang symbol, but separated - so it looked like two separate tomoe - both completely black and the pair was encircled twice.
Even though he was the tallest of the bunch, he looked wiry. He also wore two curved swords tied to his waist, both on his left side; a daisho combo by the looks of it. 'A samurai training to be a shinobi? How odd could you get?'
I could honestly say that I had never seen anyone even remotely like him. 'Well, not like it matters. If he can hold his own against Tou-chan's suicide training, then he is all right in my book!'
Uchiha-teme - of course - didn't count in that statement. He would have to spit gold, cry diamonds and bleed rubies if he even wanted me to talk to him... that didn't even include me being nice.
I didn't even give him the time of day to study him. The only thing I notice at all, which was during our spar/scuffle, was that he had what must have been two birthmarks. Two line that started between each eye and his nose and slanted outwards. It made him look like a weasel. Oh sweet irony!
"All right, now that everyone is warmed up, we will start with a good spar. Yasei and Tsu, you two can spar over there." Tou-chan pointed to a spot near the pond for us. "Hikaru and Kenta, over there." He pointed at a open, flat area near the far wall of the yard. "And Itatchi will spar with me. I expect that everyone knows how to spar without killing or injuring their opponent. If at any point I have to step in, the offending party will be severely punished. Any questions?" Who would ever question him? He explained too clearly to misunderstand, and he made it clear that he was not someone to second guess.
Yasei and I made our way over to out designated area. "What do you say we start off with simple hand to hand and see where we go from there?" He offered. Clearly he was not going to make the same mistake as his teammate by underestimating me. Well, either that or he wanted to see if I was any good without my tessen.
"Sounds good." I assumed a loose stance, sizing up how bad a disadvantage I had this time. The top of my head reached about mid thigh... what were they feeding these people? Growth hormones? This guy was supposedly around eleven years old - being allowed to graduate early with his teammates - but he was as tall as Tou-chan; who was by no means short!
Yasei dropped on his right knee, clapping his hands in front of him. He kept his hands about half a metre in front of him and perfectly covering my view of his nose. I could feel the intensity of his gaze on me, observing every move and studying it.
'Crouching Tiger, Praying Mantis style? NICE!' I mentally applauded him. It was a style designed to completely negate a shorter opponent's advantage, while highlighting longer limbs and therefore longer reach. It was also impossible to attack his knees without reprisal; he was obviously studying me the other day when I banged up Uchiha's knee. He was not going to be a pushover!
Seeing that it would be impossible for him to attack, I decided to start things off. I lunged for him, knowing that he was going to counter with a punch. Then he sprang his first trap.
He launched himself at me, using his coiled up muscles and posture like a spring board, then somersaulted trying to hammer his heel in my skull. I dodged his attack as broadly as I could, seeing that his two arms looked ready to pounce on me if I got too close.
Just as he was landing, I launched a kick aimed to land between his shoulder blades. Which he somehow anticipated? He rolled forward and caught my foot at the ankle between his ankles!
'Son of a-'
Before I could even finish the though he launched me into the air, ankle first! 'This guy is good! I like him!'
What transpired later that night was perhaps the most memorable event I would ever have the pleasure of remembering. Tou-chan was in his storyteller mood again, but this time he wanted to talk about four of his favourite people in the world: Tsume, Kuromaru, Minato and Jiraiya... his Team 9 as a genin. Unfortunately, Uchiha-temewas still there to hear it too, but I wouldn't let that spoil it for me.
Stories flowed from his lips like drops of rain in a hurricane. Their missions together, training, just horsing around... anything that came to mind, Tou-chan regaled. There seemed to be no preference in regard to his old team mates, his senseior any particular situation he wanted to describe. They just case out as he remembered them.
I was especially awe struck, having never heard a peep about his old team before. Only to have that overwhelming emotion gobsmacked to learn that Namikaze Minato, Konoha's Yellow Flash... the Yondaime Hokage was on his team! True, I have more of a fetish for the Nidaime, but even Great-Grandfather paled in comparison to the Yondaime!
What's more, after another flask of sake - his story mood's best friend - it turned out that he was well acquainted with every legendary figure from the Third Shinobi War!
To say that he had my undivided attention was like saying... 'What was I going to say again? Nevermind! This is almost too good to be true!' My entire universe was centred on him; a stark contrast to him being the world I live in and the air I breathe.
Story after story, legend after legend... there seemed to be no singular name I was familiar with he did not mention - in passing at least. The way Hatake Sakumo strolled into Suna during the Third Sinobi War and warned them to 'shut their traps, or else' made me laugh so hard I thought I was going to break something. That he walked out unscathed earned his clan quite a few bad-ass points in my opinion. Not to mention the seven and a half metre long wolf summon he was riding at the time!
As time passed, his stories became more and more intense - that could have something to do with the pile of empty sake flasks though - until at last... The Kyuubi attack...
"I wasn't there to fight against the beast, but the stories I hear... oooooohhh..." He paused, drinking straight from the flask that time. "The Kyuubi no Youko, the king of the Bijuu. Those who fear him, do so rightly! In size alone he dwarfed the Hokage Tower! And those damn tails of his never seemed to stop thrashing about! And his eyes... Those Sharingan eyes really pissed off the Shinobi that were there to fight him! Everyone blamed the Uchiha for the attack... Well, those not traumatized by it at least. Only a handful of shinobi could stomach thinking about what happened... let alone the pattern of his eyes." The focal point of our gathering immediately became the now wide eyed Uchiha.
That was the reason I would never forget that night... The night I fully understood how evil the Uchiha clan was... the night that Uchiha Itachi swore to all the heavens that he would get to the bottom of that claim!
"Sensei, I dare not accuse you of lying, but please allow me to question the clan elders on the matter." Uchiha said in a solemn tone.
"Why? So you can brag about costing me my best friend? Minato sacrificed everything that night to protect Konoha, and not so much as one Uchiha could even claim to have fought against the beast!" Tou-chan's tone of voice was barely above freezing at that point. Normally this would prompt me to warn everyone that didn't know better that this meant he was pissed off... normally.
"Sensei, I would never speak of such matters, let alone brag about them. Yondaime-sama is in fact my idol, so why should I wish to be involved in a situation that cost him anything?" Itachi spoke calmly, evenly.
"Feh, aren't you one of them?" Tou-chan spat, refusing to speak that name again. "How do you expect me to-"
"Sensei, I assure you I had no knowledge of anything of the sort. I was barely six years old at the time, and frankly I was babysitting my little brother. I assumed my parents were out on the battlefield with the rest of Konoha."
"You don't know anything." I groused. Truthfully, I had hated that boy's clan almost as long as I have been alive. I say almost, because it took me a few months to understand how to hate them.
"Yukikami-san, please allow m-"
"Tou-chan, I'm going to bed. Please excuse me." Maybe it doesn't make sense; maybe I'm just overreacting... but the fact that he was being respectful to me, not knowing that I am both Yukikami andSenju kinda pissed me off.
A few weeks later, during training, Tou-chan decided to partner me with... him. I don't know what possessed him, but I was not in any position to argue either.
"You know, if you keep thinking of me as 'sensei's daughter' I'm going to keep hurting you." I told him... eventually. I think it was after I kicked him directly in his kneecap though.
I heard a few grunts and complaints flowing out of his mouth, as he nursed his umpteenth soon to be bruise. "If this repays what my clan owes you, even a little... it's worth it."
"If you have something to say, then say it; I've outgrown puzzles." I nonplussed.
"Sensei told me about your clan..." From perplexing, to perplexed... Sweet irony, how I hate thee!
"Congratulations, you had a tour of the Yukikami clan, big wop." I deadpanned, wondering why he was being so freaking nice to me. I hate people who are nice for no reason; they always have a hidden angle.
"That's not quite what I meant, Senju-hime." Well, there's the reason! I could feel the blood freezing in my veins the second I understood what he truly meant.
"You're mother has a big mouth." I stated coldly. If Tou-chan told him about me, then I was going to be a renowned cartographer. My map reading sucks, just so you know.
"What makes you-"
"Anyone else in your clan knowing about me would have killed me a long time ago."
"Why must you-"
"Save it, Uchiwa." He was silent, but it wasn't hard to tell that he still had a lot to say. "You think you're doing the right thing by trying to be my friend, by accepting whatever hatred I throw at you... you're wrong. To me, you will always be the son of Oka-sama's killer." I knew my voice was getting colder than I should allow, but I just didn't care.
"I know." Was all he said. He left without another word, not even asking for Tou-chan's leave.
"It's not his fault you know." A feminine voice whispered behind me. I didn't have to turn around to figure out who it was; though I did find it sad that she still managed to sneak up on me.
"Tell that to the childhood I should've had." I sniped.
"The jutsu used on you is not his fault either."
"Oh? And who's fault is it?" My voice was far too sweet for the venom I was spitting at her with my words.
"My husband's."
"Well that explains everything now doesn't it, Mikoto. I guess no one should suffer other than good ol' Fugaku, huh?" My eyes somehow snapped their focus on her, even though I don't remember turning around... or activating my doujutsu.
"When Itachi came to me, asking about the Kyuubi attack, I knew who's side he was on. I thought that you could appreciate that." She seems almost apologetic now, but her eyes are the same cold charcoal that await the smallest spark to light aflame. Luckily I can tell she's not lying to me, but should that change anything?
"Congratulations, your son's not a monster. Now say that about his father... your husband." She remained silent. "Now, unless you have something important to tell me..." I turned to walk back to the house, not waiting for a reply.
"If I could have stopped it-"
"SHOVE IT!" She jerked back like I slapped her, which I probably should have. "You are a member of that clan, just like he is. The clan that killed everything I should be proud of. The clan that stole everything from me... the clan that forced the Yondaime's hand in deciding my fate before I was even born. And who gets to live with it?" Unknowingly, my hand was against my belly, above my navel.
Before anyone could reprimand me for my outbreak, I turned and walked into the house. I refused to sit around and wait for someone to say something - anything - that could upset any more that I already was.
As with all bad days, that day ended with me in the furo. My hair was thoroughly washed, my skin cleansed almost to the point of bleeding. I just wanted to scrape every inch of my skin until I forgot touching that... thing.
They say that strong emotion washes away all logic. I never fully understood that saying, until I met Itachi. Logically, it was easy to see he was no more at fault that I... Emotionally though...?
It was hard not to see his father in him. Birthmark aside, or whatever that weasely thing was on his face, he was his father's twin in looks. Well, no... not even in looks. He actually looks more like his mother. Is that something that should change how I feel?
Slowly the door slid open, revealing an old woman with weathered skin and a warm smile. A real smile, mind you; not one of those polite ones. Her white, pupil-less eyes twinkled at seeing me, as they always did.
"Good evening, Obaa-chan." I greeted politely, trying not to let any anger show in my tone of voice.
"I hear you've been giving your father's genin a hard time." She said, in lieu of a greeting.
'I guess she decided to come over tonight... That could only mean that I'm in trouble. Just another burden put on me.' I thought morosely.
"I'm not upset with you, dear." How she always managed to read my mind will forever be beyond my ken. "I actually came in to join you. Unless you think you're getting to old to be seen with an old fossil like me?" She teased.
I didn't refuse her, or approve either. I guess I was just too tired to care either way. Minutes of silence ensued. The only sounds that assailed my peace of mind, was the soft splashes when she rinsed the soap off her self.
"Why don't you tell me what's troubling you, dear? It might help." She offered, putting the rinsing bowl back where it belonged. Of course, this was only after drying it out properly and inspecting it for any imperfections. She was always a stickler for details.
"Don't wanna talk 'bout it." I groused unhappily. She gracefully stepped into the furo, purposefully sitting next to me.
"Now, now, is that anyway to treat your dear old grandmother?" She teased, smiling all the while.
"Obaa-chan, what will change if I talk about it?"
"Nothing really," She mused, her index finger tapping against her chin, "but you might just feel a little better anyway." She wrapped an arm around me, pulling me towards her.
"I don't want to feel better anymore... I just want to stop feeling. I want the pain in my chest to go away. I want the-"
"Shhh shhh shh shhh shhh." She noised, slowly wiping away the tears as they came. She wasn't telling me to be quiet, or telling me to stop crying; she just had this habit of trying to chase the tears away... At least, that's what she always told me.
"Can we try this again now?" Obaa-chan asked. I had finally calmed down enough to stop crying, but every now and again a little hiccup would still escape.
"Nothing you don't alrea *hic* already know." I refused to sit up, or do anything that meant me letting her go really.
She gently pushed me back a bit, while tucking a finger under my chin and pulling my gaze up to meet hers. "Tell me anyway." She begged softly with her eyes.
No matter how old I get, or how much I think I am - or will - mature, the second she gives me the puppy eyes I can't deny her anything. The truly horrifying thing is, she does it without even really doing it.
"Itachi knows who I am." I summed it up.
"Yes, I know. He came to me shortly after Mikoto explained it to him." She confirmed my earlier suspicion. "... so?"
"What's stopping him from fin- *hic* -nishing the job?" My voice was just shy of a whisper.
End Chapter 12
A/N: As always, lots of love going out to Kiravu! Love you girl! If she didn't beta my stories, I'd probably spout garbage half the time!
My sincerest apologies for the late update, life is just rough I guess.
Furo - Japanese styled hot tub. Used to bath regularly, so nothing special about it really. In contrast with an onsen, which is a public bathhouse, sometimes with pool like baths outside.
Ha-ha - another way to say mother, mommy, or female parent. Tatsuko is teasing her father with it.
Hi no Kuni - Fire Country
Tomoe - A comma. The reason I used the Japanese term is because there is so much more attached than the word. The tomoe is part of the Imperial Regalia, a jewel that represents benevolence. Which is used in so many family crests that it is a fairly common sight. As well, there are two tomoe in the Yin-Yang sign. That is how much it means to the Japanese ;)
Hakama - Traditional pants worn with Gis, or Karate outfits. It is also worn by Kendo practitioners, the only real difference is the colour used.
Daisho - Literally 'long-short'. It refers to the dual Samurai swords, the katana (long) and the wakizashi (short). Sometimes a Samurai would have a tanto as well, but that is not the tradition.
Tessen - Fan(s), but not to be confused with Temari's battle fan. These are usually no longer than 12 inches, but usually around 8 inches long. They are almost always made of cast iron and are sometimes disguised as normal fans.
Yondaime - Literally 'Fourth', refers to the Fourth Hokage in this case.
Hime - Princess.
Obaa-chan - Grandmother.