"Nii-san?"
Itachi ignored the voice.
"Niiiiiiiiiiii-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan."
"Go away."
"Weasel, weasel, weasel, weasel, weasel, weasel, weasel, weasel, weasel! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASEL!"
"Renji. Bed. Sleep. Now."
"I tried! It didn't work."
"Try harder."
"But I'm awake and I'm booooooooooooooooooored! Let's do something, nii-san!"
Itachi groaned, covering his head with his blanket as he attempted to ignore the small body sitting on his back. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, Renji wasn't giving up so easily. The redhead continued shaking the lump that was his big brother who was hiding under the covers.
"Get up, Itachi-nii! Don't be lazy!"
"It's four in the morning, Renji. Come back in two hours."
"Whoa! You can tell what time it is without even opening your eyes? That's so awesome, Itachi-nii!"
"You're going to stay sitting on me until I get up, aren't you?"
"That's the plan!" the redhead chirped.
Renji was suddenly thrown off, landing on his back as Itachi sat up in his futon. From his position on the floor, Renji sputtered as he looked at his big brother. It wasn't long until he burst out laughing. Renji knew what a bad case of "bedhead" looked like, but Itachi seemed to have it worse than most. His long hair was all frizzed up and sticking out in odd angles. Itachi was rubbing his tired eyes as he attempted to wake up, ignoring Renji's laughing while he did so. Waking up at six in the morning he could handle; he was used to that because of his missions as a shinobi. But four in the morning was pushing the boundaries. But if he didn't wake up now, Renji would continue bothering him until he did get up.
Little brothers. You love them dearly. Other times, you love to hate them.
Running his fingers through his tresses, Itachi attempted to tame the frizzed mass that was his hair. All the while, Renji continued laughing.
"I'm glad one of us seems to be enjoying this," Itachi muttered sarcastically under his breath.
Renji eventually calmed down after a decent death glare was sent his way, but he continued to have sudden spurts of giggles every now and then. As he waited for his big brother to finish, the giggles died away. Renji was oddly silent as he watched Itachi mess with his mane of hair.
"Is there something you want to say?" Itachi asked as he noticed the unusually interested look on Renji's face.
"Your hair is prettier than Kaa-chan's was," Renji stated, smirking a bit as Itachi finished tying his hair into its trademark ponytail. Itachi didn't know how to respond to that comment. Should he feel insulted or complimented? Or perhaps a strange combination of both?
"Okay," Itachi said, kneeling down to Renji's level. "What do you want me to do?"
"Do something!"
"…Care to be more specific?"
"Um…tell me what chakra is? It's been bugging me forever!"
"I only told you about it yesterday, Renji…"
"Exactly! Tell me, tell me!"
"Doing just the basics would take the whole day. Do you have the patience for that?" Itachi asked seriously.
"I don't know…but I can try!" Renji answered.
"Alright. Come with me," Itachi said, motioning Renji to follow him as he exited the house.
The ex-shinobi led the child through the streets of Inuzuri to the outskirts of the district. The two traveled through the wilderness to a steep incline leading to a mountain. After hiking up the incline, it revealed an open area that overlooked the entirety of Inuzuri. Renji ran up to the edge jutting out over the district in awe, putting his hand to his forehead to discover how far he could see. He turned to Itachi, a happy grin on his face.
"This view is awesome, Itachi-nii!" he shouted. "How'd you find this place?"
"I come here often for personal reasons," Itachi vaguely explained.
The area was his own private training ground. No one ever bothered to come up to this specific mountain. He didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him or harming anyone unintentionally when he was there. He would practice with his jutsus in this area and it was to his surprise that his jutsus seemed to be more powerful than they were back when he was alive. It was a quiet place, away from the bustling streets of Inuzuri. Since it was early in the morning, the entire field was covered in a thin blanket of dew. Renji seemed to enjoy running his feet through the grass, feeling the wet blades run along his skin.
"What happened there?" Renji questioned innocently, pointing to a charred area of the field. The trees were burnt along their trunks, but the leaves remain unscathed. The rocks nearby looked like they melted in certain areas and there was dead and burnt grass surrounding it.
"Nothing important," Itachi said, steering around the question. He knew well what happened there: he had used a classic fire-style jutsu at that area earlier that week before Renji came under his wing.
"So, ya gonna tell me what chakra is now?" Renji asked, bringing Itachi out of his thoughts.
"Yes. You might want to sit down. This might take some time," Itachi began as Renji did as his big brother suggested. "Chakra is a form of life energy that all living things produce to an extent."
"Cool! So does that mean that everyone has chakra?"
"Yes. You, me, all the residents of Inuzuri; we all have chakra. But what sets them apart from us is that they don't have the ability to utilize chakra."
"What makes us so special? And what does 'utilize' mean?"
"Meaning that they can't control chakra like we do."
"Wait…control chakra?"
"Yes," Itachi continued. He picked a stick off the ground and began drawing figures in the dirt. "Unlike us, the other souls in Inuzuri lack the chakra network and, subsequently, are unable to have the ability to control it."
"Chakra network?"
"You know how blood works in traveling around the body?"
"Yeah! It gets carried through veins and stuff, right?"
"Yes," Itachi pointed to the human-figure he had drawn with the twig. "In a similar manner to how blood circulates through the body, chakra circulates through the body via the chakra network."
"So…chakra is like blood?"
"Exactly. If you lose too much blood, you run the risk of dying. The same thing happens with chakra if you use up too much of it."
"What kinds of things can you do if you use chakra?" Renji curiously asked.
Itachi smirked. "There are many things you can do when you learn how to use chakra. The possibilities are almost limitless. For example, you can climb trees without ever using your hands and walk on water."
Renji's eyes bulged in amazement. "Whoa! Really? That's so cool! You're saying I could do those things?"
"Potentially yes. But you would have to learn how to mold and conserve chakra first."
"Can you teach me, nii-san!? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" Renji begged, his eyes pleading for his elder brother to teach him cool techniques.
Itachi gave a stern look at Renji. "I will. But on one condition."
"What's that?"
"I want you to promise me something," Renji was quiet as Itachi continued talking. "Promise me you will not use these techniques unless you absolutely have to. Surprise tactics are extremely effective in battle. It is better to keep your true abilities hidden for when you need the upper hand in a fight. I want you to be able to defend yourself in case you're on your own, but these techniques are not to be shown off recklessly."
Renji's gaze hardened, indicating he was serious. "I promise, Itachi-nii. I swear on it!"
"Good. Now then…" Itachi stood up. "Shall we begin?"
"Yeah!" Renji cheered in victory.
"Shit!" Renji moaned as he laid on the ground. "You did this all the time, nii-san!?"
"Now, don't tell me you're tired already?" Itachi teased the panting redhead.
"Hell with you, ya jerk!" the child snapped back.
The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow on the training field. The two had spent most of the day going over basic chakra exercises. Itachi learned that Renji was quick to pick up on how the new techniques were done, but his main problem remained in the execution. Despite being so young, the child had a decently large chakra reserve due to his Uzumaki heritage. But because of the abnormally large amount of chakra, he often put too much into the techniques he was attempting to perform. Itachi told him to begin training with the Clone Jutsu, but Renji couldn't seem to make any decent clones because of his lack of controlling the excess chakra. Multiple times and multiple failures of the Clone Jutsu eventually took its toll on the child; hence why he was lying on the ground panting due to exhaustion.
"Is it supposed to make me this tired?"
"On some occasions, yes," Itachi said, kneeling down next to the child and looking over Renji's physical condition with a critical eye.
"How long until I get it right?"
"As long as it takes. Not everyone can execute jutsu on their first try. When they can't, they practice it until they do get it right or they can try a different jutsu that better suits their abilities."
"How long did it take you to get it right, nii-san?"
"The first try."
"Damn it…"
"Alright. Get on," Itachi said, turning away so his back was facing Renji.
"Eh?" the redhead said in confusion, blinking at his brother's back.
"Climb on my back. I'll carry you."
"Yay!" Renji shouted, somehow managing to summon the energy to slam into Itachi's back.
Itachi let a small smile crack onto his face as Renji wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck. Once the redhead was secure, Itachi stood up and began making his way down the steep mountainside. The sun's light soon faded, but the sky remained a beautiful canvas of red, orange, and yellow. As the ex-shinobi made his way through the streets of Inuzuri, he heard Renji giggling on his back. He turned his head just enough so he could see the child's smiling face out of the corner of his eye.
"What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing. I'm just happy," Renji answered honestly. "I think I remember doing this with tou-san back when I was alive."
"Oh really?" Itachi said in interest.
"Yeah. I remember looking up to him and wanting to be strong just like him one day."
"Was your father a shinobi?"
"A what now?"
"A ninja."
"Oh! Um…I don't know. But I remember that he wore a headband and it had these weird circles on a metal plate."
A headband with a metal plate that had strange circles. That sounded like the trademark hitai-ate that shinobi from Kumogakure wore. The Village Hidden in the Clouds was situated in the Land of Lightning and it was a fearsome military power. It was also a good indication of what Renji's main chakra nature would be, but whether or not it was Lightning-nature remained to be seen.
"I loved tou-san, but he was never around…" Renji said quietly, as if disappointed. "But Kaa-chan was always there and she said something about tou-san's 'duty' to our homeland. I didn't get what she meant and I still don't get it now. What's a 'duty', Itachi-nii?"
"Duty…is like a responsibility to someone or something, but much more serious," Itachi explained carefully, trying to put an abstract topic into words a child could understand. "I'm sure your father loved you just as much, but his job prevented him from seeing you."
"Oh. Kinda like chores only more serious, huh? I thought it dealt with shit."
"No. I can assure you duty does not deal with that, though it can sometimes stink like it."
Renji let out a laugh before his mood became solemn. His hold around Itachi's neck tightened, which did not go unnoticed by the Uchiha. Itachi paused in his walked, turning his head to find Renji's eyes filled with unshed tears.
"Renji?" Itachi said, worried about what the redhead was feeling.
"Do you think he misses me?" he asked softly.
The Uchiha was silent for a few seconds before answering. "I'm sure he misses you very much. He wouldn't be much of a father if he didn't."
"That's good to know…" the kid mumbled, his voice trailing off.
"Renji, I'm not a pillow. Try and stay awake."
The request fell on deaf ears. Itachi exhaled, accepting defeat when he heard the light snores coming from his back. The chakra training must've been more draining on him than Renji let off. It was to be expected. Itachi let himself smile as he continued on his way home. Once again, he was reminded of Sasuke. Although, Sasuke didn't train himself until he could barely move. Yet another distinct difference that made itself known and cemented the fact that Itachi would never see his little brother again. However, it didn't sadden him as much as it used to. He did have family in this place. While not blood-related, Renji was now his little brother and he would protect him. He wouldn't fail Renji like he failed Sasuke; this Itachi swore to himself.
The small shack soon came into view and the Uchiha made his way inside. He gingerly placed Renji on his futon before tucking him in with a blanket. The redhead was still snoring away, a small trail of drool making its way down the corner of his mouth. His decently long crimson hair was spread out on the pillow in a messy fashion. It wouldn't be long until Renji would need a hair tie to tame his long hair lest it get in his face at some point. Itachi smirked at the sight before making his way to his own futon.
"You'll become strong one day. I know you will," he said under his breath as he laid down on the dirty futon.
Several months had passed since then and Renji was improving greatly in his training to use chakra. Renji seemed to have Naruto's determination when it came to training. If he didn't get a technique right away, he would keep training until he did get it right. Although, Itachi had his suspicions that Renji did some secret training behind his back. There had been a couple incidents when Renji couldn't get a jutsu down one day, but by the next day he would have it seemingly mastered. He also chalked it up to the Shadow Clone Jutsu he had taught to Renji recently. The redhead nearly ruptured Itachi's eardrums from the loud shriek of joy he made when he created his first corporeal clone. His large chakra reserves allowed him to easily access the technique since the jutsu required more chakra than control when executing it. The jutsu was incredibly useful due to the fact that whatever information and experience the clone learned was returned to the original after it dispersed. It was a handy learning tool and Renji exploited it to the best of his ability when Itachi told him this fact.
However, despite the practicality of using Shadow Clones, there were dangers to using it; the most prevalent being chakra depletion. The justu required a significant amount of chakra to perform and then the clones each had to have the original's chakra evenly distributed among them. In order to prevent this, Itachi told Renji to not make more than one Shadow Clone at a time. The most the child was able to produce at one time was three, but that had nearly caused Renji to collapse from the exertion. Itachi was normally a level-headed individual, but he did have moments where his "overprotective brother" instincts got the better of him. The Shadow Clone incident was Renji's first encounter with those instincts and he did not take Itachi's reaction well at all.
"I'm fine, nii-san. I don't want to stop now!"
"No. We're done training for today. I don't want that happening to you again."
"Shut it, weasel! I can still train!"
"No, Renji."
"Damn it, Itachi; I don't need you worrying about me! I can take care of myself! I managed just fine without you and I still can!"
Itachi literally dragged Renji from their training ground when the redhead refused to quit training after that incident. The angry seven-year-old was sulking all through dinner and through the night. The kid was pouting in the corner of the room, his arms crossed in frustration, and his back facing his elder brother when Itachi crawled into his futon.
"Renji, I just don't want you overexerting yourself and getting yourself hurt," Itachi said quietly as he drifted off to sleep. "You can't sulk like this forever…"
"Watch me!" he heard Renji snap in reply. It wasn't long after that when Itachi fell asleep.
Itachi woke up to a cloudy morning. The Uchiha slowly sat up in his futon, stretching his limbs while he did so. He turned his head to Renji's futon to find it empty. Itachi blinked in surprise. Renji was never up earlier than Itachi after that first day of chakra training. The redhead loved to sleep in, so for Renji to wake up early was odd. Itachi got out of his futon and took a quick look outside the house. There were a few people in the streets walking about, but Itachi didn't see the familiar head of red hair among them. Itachi sighed. It appeared that Renji was still upset about the previous day. He was probably training on the mountaintop by himself without dealing with the Uchiha's watchful gaze as he did so.
It would be best to let Renji vent his frustration on his own. Perhaps putting some distance between them would be the best option with the emotional state Renji was in. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to secretly watch over Renji while the redhead trained. He was once a shinobi after all. Espionage was one of the recurring missions he took while in ANBU. As long as he kept his distance, Renji would never know. The child was definitely not a good sensor yet when it came to chakra or spiritual pressure.
The Uchiha casually made his way to their training ground, watching the clouds in the sky darken and thunder began booming in the distance. Itachi narrowed his eyes at the declining weather. It wasn't a good idea to stay out in a storm. Judging from how fast it was forming, he had to get Renji and rush back to their home as soon as possible. An ominous feeling descended upon him as the weather worsened.
"I have a bad feeling…" he muttered to himself as he increased his pace from a walk to a run.
Small droplets of water were splashing onto his face as he ran up the slope of the mountainside. He froze for the briefest instant when he heard Renji scream and the sound of something large making contact with the ground. He felt the dirt below his feet shake from the force and it snapped him out of his state of shock. Itachi took off like a shot, using the Body Flicker technique to get to the mountaintop faster.
What he saw would be burned into his mind for years.
Renji was bleeding from a cut in his shoulder, trembling in fear as a monstrous beast hovered over him. The thing was at least as tall as a building and it was roughly cat-shaped. A white skull-like mask covered its face and Itachi could make out beady yellow eyes in the sockets. A giant hole was situated in its chest. A large tail swished back and forth while the claws on its left paw were dripping with blood; Renji's blood.
"Itachi!" Renji cried out to the Uchiha, tears streaming down his face as his hand clutched his wounded shoulder. Crimson liquid painted the tan skin of Renji's hand.
"Ah! Another delicious soul has come. This one has even more spirit energy than the runt! It must be my lucky day," the cat-like being hissed out as its eyes veered to Itachi.
"Leave nii-san alone!" Renji shouted as he threw a decently sized rock at the monster. The stone hit the white mask, but it all it did was irritate the behemoth.
"Little brat!" the cat roared as it launched its paw at Renji.
Renji clenched his eyes shut as he waited for the inevitable crushing power of the monster's attack. However, he felt his body being picked up and wind rushing past his ears at an alarming speed. He felt someone's arms around his torso and legs, securing him in their grip. He precariously opened an eye, spotting Itachi holding him and being a good few meters away from his previous position.
"Itachi!" the redhead shouted in relief. He watched Itachi kneel down, placing him on the ground.
"Stay here. I'll take care of it," Itachi said in a monotone, his eyes sharp and calculating compared to the soft look that was normally in his elder brother's eyes.
"Nii-san?"
Renji didn't get an answer as Itachi turned to face the monster. Unknown to the child, Itachi's coal-colored eyes shifted to crimson red. The three tomoe of the Sharingan spun slowly before melding together, forming a pinwheel pattern in both eyes.
"I'll devour you both!" the monster yelled, charging right at the two souls.
Renji's body jolted as the ground below him shook violently. He briefly wondered how Itachi was still maintaining his balance as the giant cat came closer. Faster than his eye could follow, Itachi's hands flew through various signs that Renji couldn't make out. He blinked when he heard his elder brother speak one word that he didn't understand.
"Amaterasu."
Renji's jaw fell open, his eyes bugging out when he saw the giant cat monster spontaneously erupt in flames. But what amazed him most was the fact that the flames were pitch-black. He had seen fire and it was always in shades of orange and yellow, but he had never seen black flames before. The thing thrashed around, screeching in agony as the black flames burned away at skin and bone alike. It wasn't long before the beast fell to the ground, unmoving as the black flames continued to burn through its body. The sound of Itachi's knees falling to the ground brought the redhead out of his stupor.
"Itachi!" Renji cried out in worry as he quickly rushed to his brother's side.
The redhead gasped when he saw Itachi clutching his right eye in pain, two trails of blood leaking down his face from under his hand. The blood fell from his chin, spotting the ground with the color red. Despite his grim appearance, Itachi smiled lightly at Renji.
"Are you alright, Renji?" he asked the child.
"Dumbass!" the seven-year-old angrily shouted at the Uchiha. "I'm fine. But…your eye…is it…?"
"My eye is fine, Renji. Don't worry."
"How can I NOT worry!? It's frickin' bleeding!"
"I'll be alright. I'm more concerned about your shoulder."
Renji blushed, turning to look at the ground. "Worry about yourself for once, you idiot…"
Itachi pulled his hand away from his eye, tapping Renji's forehead with his fingers. "I could, but you're more liable to do something reckless than I am. You take priority in that aspect."
Renji had a guilty expression on his face as he looked at Itachi's closed eye, the blood still running from it in red trails on his face. It looked almost as if Itachi was crying blood. This sight only made Renji feel more guilty, knowing that it was because of him that it happened. His elder brother was hurt because he was looking for him. He was hurt because he protected him.
Renji took Itachi's fingers off his forehead, gripping them tightly. A few tears began falling from his eyes. Itachi's left eye blinked at the child's reaction. Renji then suddenly tackled Itachi, hugging him with a death-like grip.
"I'm sorry, Itachi!" the redhead bawled. "I wanted to train alone, but that thing…that thing…it…it came outta nowhere! I tried to get away, but—!"
"Shhh…" Itachi shushed the crying child, running his hand in circles on Renji's back. "You're safe now, Renji. Don't cry."
"After last night, I thought you'd hate me! I thought I'd…If you didn't come when you did…I…"
"Renji…I'm always going to be there for you, even when you don't want me to. I promise you that."
"You promise?" Renji repeated, pulling away from the Uchiha and looking at him with a tear-stained face. Itachi ruffled Renji's messy crimson locks in a reassuring manner, still smiling lightly at him.
"I promise. After all, it's what big brothers do," the Uchiha explained. He then eyed Renji's shoulder. "Now, let's get that wound treated so it won't get infected."
Renji rubbed his eyes in an attempt to stop his tears from falling. He also tried to futilely move his bangs out of his face, but the locks kept falling back in place. Itachi noticed this and kept the small chuckle that wanted to burst forth in check. He took out the black hair tie in his own hair before handing it to Renji. The redhead blinked in confusion at the tie before his eyes shifted to his brother's face.
"Use it to tie your hair back. It'll keep it out of your face," Itachi told him.
Renji smiled as he nodded, taking the relatively long piece of cloth. He tied hair up higher than Itachi would have, reminding the ex-shinobi of Shikaku Nara's hairstyle in the way it looked, but the look oddly suited the redhead.
"Thanks," Renji said, bowing to Itachi to show his gratitude. "Is it alright if I keep it, nii-san?"
Itachi nodded. "Of course. Now, let's get home before—"
"I'm going to get stronger, Itachi!"
Itachi's left eye widened at the bold statement. The sadness and guilt in Renji's eyes disappeared and was replaced by sheer determination. Renji stared at the Uchiha, his hands gripped into fists.
"I don't ever want to see you be hurt again because of me," he declared. "I want to become stronger so you won't have to fight anymore! I'll become a Soul Reaper so I can protect myself; so I can protect you when you need it most!"
"Renji…" was the only thing Itachi could say.
For as long as the Uchiha could remember, fighting was inevitable for him. Living as a shinobi, fighting was something that was ingrained into his life since he was a young child. It was because of fighting that he was exposed to the horrors of the Third Shinobi World War. When he was living the life of an international criminal, there wasn't a day that passed where Itachi didn't expect a fight to break out when anyone saw him. He was always on his own; no one except a choice few people who knew his true intentions. To protect his brother and village: that was his greatest desire. To hear someone say that they would protect him threw Itachi for a loop.
A sudden strike of thunder boomed nearby, causing Renji to grasp onto Itachi's neck in fear. Rain soon began falling in a steady downpour, soaking both males to the skin. Renji was shaking slightly and Itachi let out a small laugh at the shocked look on Renji's face.
"I think you should deal with your fear of thunder before you worry about protecting me," the Uchiha chided sarcastically.
"I'm not scared! I was just surprised, okay!?" Renji snapped indignantly.
"If you say so," Itachi said, standing up after wiping the blood from his face with his kimono sleeve.
"Well, I'd rather be wet and scared with you in a storm than being food for a Hollow."
"Hollow?" the Uchiha repeated in confusion.
"That giant monster. They appear every so often in Rukongai, but the Soul Reapers usually take care of 'em before they eat anybody. You're the first person I've seen other than a Soul Reaper to face a Hollow and live. You really are awesome, you know that Itachi-nii? I'm sorry about not listening to you earlier about training…I'll listen to you from now on."
"It's alright, Renji. But I'm keeping a much stricter eye on you from now on. That means no going anywhere without telling me again."
"Awwwwwwww! Come oooooooon! You're supposed to be my brother, not my mom! Give me a break here!"
Unknown to either of them as they began to make their way back to Inuzuri, a vigilant eye had been watching the two males the entire time. The figure smiled from his position on the mountain, watching the Hollow's body burn away even as the rain pelted against the black flames.
"Amaterasu…the legendary inextinguishable black flames of Hell itself, said to burn for seven days and nights until the target has been snuffed from the material world forever. To think I would actually see it today and summoned from a lowly resident living in the Rukongai. This 'Itachi'…I'll be sure to keep my eye on you."
I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but I did some heavy-duty thinking. I was originally gonna have Renji be the only Soul Reaper that had the chakra network, but my muse wouldn't allow it. So, I decided that I'm going to make a few other BLEACH characters that can trace their heritage back to the Naruto universe in some way. So far, I've chosen two and I'm thinking on a possible third. Keep in mind that I'm also considering the Arrancar as well when I'm doing this. I've also decided that I'm bringing back a familiar face later on in the story, around the time when Renji and Itachi are entering the Soul Reaper Academy. I couldn't resist bringing him into this story and he's one of my favorite characters. I'll leave it up to your imaginations as to who it is, but I'll give virtual cookies to whoever manages to guess right before I get to that point!
So, here we have some brotherly bonding and Renji beginning his shinobi training. Geez, this story is popular and it's only got three chapters so far! I'm flattered! I can't imagine what the stats will be later on when the action starts to happen! Please review!