Chapter 4 – Prodigies and Pariahs

A/N: Itachi is the coolest character in the entire series, hands down. That is all.

-o X o-

Jab. Jab. Pivot. Palm strike. Deflect. Counterstrike. Follow up. Pivot. Deflect. Palm strike.

My body flowed like water as I practiced sparring with my mother, the sun just poking out over the eastern horizon. Though my seven-year-old body lacked significant muscle and power, at least I was fast and fluid now, using my Byakugan to track my opponent's movements and seamlessly transition from blocks to counterstrikes.

My mother was going easy on me, of course, probably moving at half speed to allow me to keep up. In addition to her speed and strength, she had a significant size and reach advantage. It was much harder to practice against her compared to fighting someone my own size, but every bit of practice helped.

"Alright, Tedashi, let's try using the Jyuuken again now," she instructed, once we had practiced the movements of our style for a while. My katas were perfect by now, and defensively, I was considered quite advanced for my age. The only problem was my offense…

"Focus, now," she said, holding out her own arm as a target. I could see the tenketsu clearly. Now I just had to form a Jyuuken block and strike one. "Feel the chakra in your fingers. See it. Solidify it, and project it outward, hard and firm." She demonstrated with one hand as she instructed. With my Byakugan active, I could see the chakra coating the two fingers she held up, projecting from them in a sharp tip that protruded a full two inches beyond her fingertips.

I held up my own hand, concentrating my chakra. It shone brightly in my right hand, proving that I had focused it there. I tried condensing it, solidifying it, and slowly moving it up my fingers. It seemed to be working, as the chakra glow moved up, up, up to my fingertips. But as soon as I tried to extend it beyond my body, it broke apart and dispersed.

"Ah, damn it!" I complained, frustrated.

"Language, Tedashi!" my mother scolded. That was one point where she fell in line with the majority of the clan. Foul language was not allowed, however mild.

"What am I doing wrong?" I complained, brushing off her rebuke. "I'm condensing my chakra as tightly as I can!" I knew it wasn't a control issue. I could stick leaves to any part of my body by now, without even thinking about it. I mean, it's not like I have Tsunade levels of control, but I'm definitely not bad at it.

My mother frowned. "Alright, that's enough for today," she said, glancing at the position of the rising sun. I was still breathing a bit heavily from the spar and the control exercise, but she didn't look winded in the slightest. Our spars were literally child's play to a chunin like her. She looked back to me and smiled reassuringly. "Your taijutsu is improving steadily, Tedashi. You'll figure out the Jyuuken eventually. I know you will. Now, let's get you washed up and ready. You have a big day today."

I cringed a bit at her wording, recalling exactly how well the last 'big day' had gone for me, and a phantom pain throbbed in my forehead at the memory. But I nodded, hoping this one would go a little better. It wasn't long before my mother was waving me off and wishing me luck on my first day at the academy.

I walked by the main branch estate on my way through the clan grounds, and noticed Neji standing stoically by the front entrance, probably waiting to escort Hinata to class on her first day. How sweet.

He glared at me as I walked by, and I returned the favor. Someday I wanted to kick his butt in a spar, but from the rumors flying around the clan and the academy, I wouldn't stand a chance right now. He really was a genius.

"Watch yourself in the academy, Tedashi," I heard him say softly. My eyes narrowed. "And stay away from Hinata sama. If I hear you took a single step out of line, I'll come find you, and remind you of your place. Physically."

His intimidation wasn't half bad for an eight-year-old, and the scariest part was that I knew he could back it up. I took a breath. "I have no ill-will towards Hinata sama. You needn't fear me in that regard."

Neji simply scowled, but I kept walking. I wonder if Naruto could beat some sense of a different kind into him in this timeline. If not, I'd keep training until I could do it myself.

I got to the academy early, a little over half an hour before classes would begin. A group of four students a bit older than me were hanging out by the lone swing outside, and a couple of instructors were leaning against the wall of the academy shooting the breeze. I recognized Iruka and Mizuki among them. I had kind of forgotten that the latter was going to have a hand in our primary ninja education. He had ties to Orochimaru, but despite his antagonism towards Konoha, I think he only sabotaged Naruto's development. Well, that was in a different universe. One without me to counteract him.

After a short mental debate, I decided to go introduce myself to the instructors. I didn't really care about the no-name students from a different year, nor did I want to skulk around on my own until more students showed up, so I walked over to the older ninjas to chat. They smiled encouragingly as they saw me approach.

"Ah, can we help you, Hyuuga-kun?" one of the instructors asked. I didn't recognize him.

"Yes, my name is Tedashi Hyuuga," I said, bowing respectfully. "Today is my first day. I know I am early, but I am not sure where to go or what to do this morning," I said, intentionally sounding a bit sheepish.

"I see. Well, you will be in my class. You can call me Iruka-sensei," Iruka said with a grin. "We have two Hyuuga students in my class this year, which is quite a treat. I look forward to teaching you. We'll call everyone together in a little bit to announce class locations and explain where to go and what to do, but for now, why don't you introduce yourself to some of your soon to be classmates?"

I nodded. I don't know what I really expected from that conversation, but at least it made a good first impression on Iruka, I think.

I walked away from the instructors, ambling slowly towards the group of older kids that I didn't really care to meet, when two new arrivals came into view walking towards the academy, faces that I recognized easily. I changed direction towards them instead.

"Hello," I greeted when I got near. "My name is Tedashi Hyuuga, and this is my first year at the academy. Are you two from the Uchiha clan?"

The younger boy looked a little confused at my brazen introduction, but the older just smiled placidly. "Yes, Tedashi san. I graduated, but Sasuke-kun is also starting classes at the academy this year. Maybe you two will be in the same class."

"Nii san, I can introduce myself," Sasuke complained, pouting a bit. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha, and I'm going to be the best ninja at the Academy, just like Itachi nii-san was."

"Sasuke kun, don't boast. The Hyuuga clan is also one of the noble clans of Konoha. You will have to work hard to compete with Tedashi kun," Itachi chided gently, still smiling.

I smiled as well. "The Uchiha are an extraordinary clan. I hope we are in the same class, Sasuke kun. We can probably learn a lot from each other."

Sasuke looked a little skeptical, but shrugged. "I learn everything I need from my nii-san, but maybe I can teach you some th- ouch!" he spluttered, as Itachi poked his forehead with two fingers.

"Be nice, Sasuke kun. I don't know everything. And how can you get stronger than me if you only learn what I already know? You need to make some strong friends and learn stuff from them too. Then you'll be able to do things that even I can't do," Itachi explained. Sasuke's eyes seemed to widen as he caught onto Itachi's logic, and he looked back at me intensely.

"Ok, let's be friends then," Sasuke said seriously. "We can train to become even stronger than Itachi nii-san."

I smirked, and nodded in agreement. "I look forward to it."

"I should have known you would suck up to the Uchiha," a familiar voice sneered. "Are you actively looking for ways to make yourself into even more of an embarrassment to our clan?"

I reflexively activated my Byakugan at the voice, and saw Neji and Hinata approaching us. "Shove off, Neji. Itachi san would whoop your butt with both eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back," I said confidently.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at being brought into the conversation, but Sasuke just nodded in affirmation and glared at Neji. Bringing in Itachi was kind of a masterstroke, I realized; my little quip put Sasuke squarely on my side of the argument without knowing anything else about me or the feud I had with Neji.

Hinata looked mortified at being caught in an argument within the first minute of arriving at school, but Neji just stared us down coolly. "Hm. Itachi Uchiha, the clan prodigy. I heard about you. But the Sharingan is no match for the Byakugan. Our Gentle Fist is an art you can't copy, and we can see right through your tricks. Come, Hinata sama, let's go."

Hinata looked down, too embarrassed to make eye contact, and obediently followed Neji towards the older kids by the swing. I sighed.

"I am sorry about that, Itachi san. Neji holds a bit of a grudge against me, and we don't get on too well," I said dryly. "He's also an arrogant, stuck up prick, but he does have a strong Byakugan, better than anyone else in our generation, I believe. I apologize on his behalf for any insult to the Uchiha clan."

"No offense taken. There has long been a frivolous rivalry between our clans; his words are far from the sharpest to lash at the Uchiha," Itachi replied calmly. "Even so, your apology is appreciated. Sasuke, I need to leave now. Pay close attention in class, listen to your instructor, and don't goof off. I expect a report of what you learned at the end of the week."

Sasuke nodded solemnly. "Yes, nii-san! I'll learn everything!"

"Very good. Farewell, Sasuke, Tedashi san."

In a whirl of leaves, he disappeared. "Do you know how to do that?" I asked Sasuke, who shook his head in the negative. "Alright, we have to get him to teach us that. Your brother is awesome."

And just like that, I made a new friend.

-o X o-

"Aburame, Shino."

"Present."

"Akimichi, Choji."

"Here!"

I listened as Iruka read the names of his students off his clipboard, taking attendance for his new class. There were several names I didn't recognize; students who didn't pass the final exam in a few years, I supposed. Also, there was one student conspicuous in his absence. I sat in the middle or a row with Sasuke on one side, keeping the other seat saved for my tardy classmate.

"Nara, Shikamaru."

"Yep," the lazy boy muttered, before immediately dropping his head to his arms to nap. On the first day? That was some bold dedication to sleeping. Iruka sensei raised an eyebrow, but went back to calling out names.

"Onikuma, Akiko."

"Present!"

"Uchiha, Sasuke."

"Here."

"Uzumaki, Naruto."

…

Iruka looked up and around the class. "Naruto Uzumaki? Is Naruto here?" he asked again, before sighing. "Fine, then. Yama-"

"HERE!" shouted Naruto as the door slid open with a slam. Several students flinched in surprise, and Shikamaru startled awake from his momentary nap, looking quite irritated to be roused from his slumber so soon. But seriously, Iruka had only read a couple names, he couldn't have fallen into a deep sleep that quickly, right?

"Naruto, you're late!" Iruka declared, visibly annoyed. "It's the first day!"

"Ah, sorry sensei," Naruto said sheepishly. "I…"

"Take a seat, Uzumaki," Mizuki said, a touch of ice in his voice. Naruto flinched, having not seen Mizuki sitting to the side of the classroom when he walked in. Naruto gulped and looked around, then visibly relaxed when he noticed me gesturing for him to sit next to me.

"Thanks, Tedashi, you're a lifesaver," he whispered.

"Shh. No problem, just listen now," I replied softly, and Naruto nodded, beaming at Iruka and probably dreaming of learning over-the-top ninjutsu on his first day.

"Moving on. Yamanaka, Ino."

"I'm here."

"Alright, looks like that's everyone," Iruka said, setting down his clipboard and shooting a brief glance at Naruto. "Welcome to your first day at the Academy! I'm your teacher, Iruka sensei, and Mizuki sensei here will be assisting with your lessons as well. So, let's get started!"

Iruka began explaining the difference between ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, while most of the class paid rapt attention. Surprisingly, Naruto was among that number, though he did lose some enthusiasm when Iruka mentioned that we wouldn't be learning any of the techniques today. By the time the lunch bell rang, he was thoroughly disillusioned with the Academy. We stood up to head out to the playground, and I was happy to see Sasuke was willing to tag along.

"They aren't going to teach us any awesome jutsu?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Why are we even here if they aren't going to teach how to throw fireballs or breathe lava or create tornados?"

"Tch, nobody can breathe lava, that's just crazy. And there's more to being a ninja than big jutsu, dummy," said Sasuke airily. "My nii san can hit targets with shuriken without seeing them all, and move so fast you can't even see him without a Sharingan or something." He paused for a moment in thought. "Though, he can also breathe giant fireballs too. I've almost got that one down myself," he said proudly.

Here we go.

"What!? You can breathe fire?" Naruto screeched, jumping in front of me to grab Sasuke by the shirt. "You gotta teach me that! I totally need that jutsu, then I'll be promoted to Hokage for sure, right out of the Academy!"

"Stop, Naruto," I said, slapping his hands away from Sasuke's shirt with just enough force to sting. He yelped and started shaking his hands in mild pain. "That's a special Uchiha jutsu. He can't teach you that, just like I can't teach you Gentle Fist." Maybe not totally true, but I didn't need Naruto to even try working at the Great Fireball Jutsu. Heaven forbid he actually succeed.

"Ugh, that's so unfair!" Naruto whined, falling back into step with us. "When am I going to learn some super strong Hokage level jutsu?"

"Hey, Uchiha!" a voice came from the field nearby. It was one of the guys from our class that I didn't recognize. "Want to play ninja with us?"

I saw Naruto's eyes light up, and the other boy smirked. "Not you, blondie. We don't want to play with you or that weird Hyuuga kid. But Uchiha, you can be on my team," he said smugly.

"Not fair, we should get the Uchiha!" called a kid from the other team.

"C'mon Naruto, forget them," I said. "We can catch up with you later, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at the boys arguing over who got the Uchiha, then back to us. "Nah, I don't want to play ninja tag. Let's go somewhere else."

Naruto's eyes widened. Both of us were fairly used to this treatment, though Naruto had it much worse than I did in the village. It was pretty cool of Sasuke to turn the guys down like that.

"Yatta! Let's go hang out with those guys. They look cool!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing to where Shikamaru and Choji were sitting in the shade, sleeping and eating respectively. "Uh, well, they look more relaxed at least," he amended.

Choji waved in a friendly manner as we approached, and Shikamaru deigned to crack an eye open for a moment before going back to his nap.

"Hey guys!" Naruto called loudly. Shikamaru grimaced, but didn't reply. "Watcha doing?"

"Hi!" Choji replied amicably. "Just chilling. Shikamaru wanted to nap."

"What?! Nap? It's only lunchtime!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Relax, Naruto," I said, resisting the urge to cover my ears. "I'm Tedashi Hyuuga, by the way. It's nice to meet you. This is Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto was staring intently at Shikamaru as if he could stare him into awakening, but Sasuke gave a nod of greeting.

"I'm Choji Akimichi, and this is Shikamaru Nara. We've been friends for a long time now," Choji explained, popping another chip into his mouth. "Do you guys want a chip? These ones are barbeque flavored, my favorite!"

I smiled and accepted the friendship offering, though Naruto was ignoring us in favor of inching closer and closer to Shikamaru's face. I had no clue what was going on in his head at that moment. Sasuke considered the chip, but politely declined.

Naruto got within six inches of Shikamaru's face, whose eyebrow started to twitch. It was basically a game of chicken at this point, Naruto challenging Shikamaru to admit that he was awake by retaliating, while Shikamaru did his level base to carry on acting like he was asleep. But no ending to this game would make for a good first impression between the two boys, so I gave the hunched-over form of Naruto a gentle kick to the shoulder. "C'mon, leave him alone and sit down."

"Hmf," Naruto grunted as he took a seat. "He's totally faking it by the way. I can tell."

Shikamaru finally cracked an eye open. "So troublesome… let me sleep."

"I knew it!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusatory finger. "Faker!"

Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, then to me, then over at the field where the other boys were shouting and hollering and playing their game. "Too troublesome," he muttered, closing his eyes again. But this time I noticed his brow was furrowed.

"Everything is too troublesome for Shikamaru," Choji laughed good naturedly. "What did you guys bring for lunch?"

Choji already had a rather wide spread of food before him, and Sasuke and I pulled out our own lunch bags as well. Shikamaru looked content as he was, and Naruto looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Did you forget to bring a lunch?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ah, eh he, no way!" he said nervously. "I'm just not hungry right now, you know! I'll eat later."

I rolled my eyes. "Here, you take half my sandwich. I have plenty."

"Oh, I have an extra bag of chips, just in case of emergencies, but you can have it today!" Choji said kindly. Even Shikamaru grunted before taking the effort of tossing a small bag of fruit at Naruto.

I glanced at Sasuke, who looked a bit uncomfortable before tossing an apple over. "I don't like apples anyway, and my mom never listens," he said, not looking up from his meal.

Naruto looked flustered, but accepted the food after a moment's hesitation. "Thanks guys," he said, unusually quiet.

-o X o-

As the week went on, people started forming their own primary friend groups. Naruto and Sasuke didn't get along well, but they both liked hanging out with me, and therefore endured each other. Usually.

Sometimes Choji and Shikamaru would hang out with us too. I think it gave some of the other parents an aneurism, seeing 'that Uzumaki boy'hanging out with a Uchiha and a Hyuuga, two of the village's most respected clans. And the Akimichi and Nara were highly respected clans as well. I overheard several parents telling their children to stay away from that blonde brat. Thankfully, the parents of Shikamaru and Choji didn't raise any issues over the friendship, and on the days that someone came to pick up Sasuke, it was always Itachi or his mother Mikoto, neither of whom raised a fuss. I doubted his father would be so lenient.

Some people in my clan had also caught wind of whom I hung out with in class. Needless to say, hanging out with the demon child and a Uchiha seemed to confirm their perceptions of me as an outsider. The Nara and the Akimichi were ok, but they never dwelt on that.

On Friday, Itachi was standing outside the Academy when classes got out, waiting with some of the other kids' parents. "Nii san!" Sasuke called eagerly when he saw him. The greeting was returned with a gentle smile and a two-fingered forehead poke. "Not cool, nii san," Sasuke said lowly, but not quite low enough to keep Naruto and I from hearing. Naruto snickered. Shikamaru and Choji had both split off to find their own parents.

"I gotta go visit Hokage-jiji," Naruto said excitedly, waving goodbye to us. "He promised me ramen if I could go a whole week without getting in trouble at the Academy!"

"What about that time after taijutsu stance lessons with Mizuki yesterday?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"He started it!" Naruto squawked indignantly. "And I didn't even prank him that bad afterwards! You don't think he told the Hokage, do you? Oh, I gotta go explain. I'll tell Hokage-jiji that you guys were witnesses, and I was innocent! See ya, Sasuke teme, Tedashi kun!"

We waved him off. "What an energetic friend," Itachi said, bemused. "Well, Sasuke, how was your first week at the Academy?"

"Fine, I guess," he said with a shrug. "I learn more when I train with you though. You can teach me something today, right?" he asked eagerly. "You promised!"

Itachi smiled. "That's why I came here to pick you up. Let's go learn something new." He looked at me as Sasuke pumped his fist in the air in excitement. The younger Uchiha was almost Naruto-ish when he got to do something with his brother. "Tedashi san, would you like to join us today? It would be beneficial for Sasuke to have a friend his age to practice with."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. A Uchiha inviting a Hyuuga to train with them? And the heir of the clan head, no less. It was a bit dangerous, getting close to the Uchihas, knowing what was coming. The Uchiha massacre was one of the events that hadn't even been on my radar to interfere with until I met Sasuke. As much I liked his seven-year-old self, preventing an event as important and well-orchestrated as the Uchiha massacre was well beyond my meagre capabilities. But I could be there for Sasuke in the aftermath, maybe make it a bit easier to bear. And until then, who could turn down a training session with Itachi Uchiha? "I would be honored, Itachi san."

He nodded, and we fell in step behind him. "Itachi-nii, we're going the wrong way!" Sasuke complained.

"We are not going to the clan grounds today, Sasuke," Itachi replied with a wry smile. "There are some in our clan who wouldn't appreciate us inviting a Hyuuga. No offense, Tedashi san. I hold no such prejudice."

"I know what you mean. The Hyuuga are no less petty."

Itachi sent me an amused look. "You are no ordinary Hyuuga."

It only took a few minutes before we entered an open clearing, and Itachi called for a halt. "We have arrived, training ground eleven," he stated, gesturing to the surroundings. It was a pretty standard training ground by Konoha standards, a wide grassy field enclosed by tall trees on all sides. In the middle there were three wooden training posts, a bit chipped and battered from years of use.

"What are you going to teach us today, Nii-san?" Sasuke asked. "Can you teach me another fire jutsu?" He kept a cooler front than Naruto, but underneath, his boyish desire for big, flashy ninjutsu wasn't so different.

"Hm, not today. We don't know if Tedashi kun has a fire affinity, so it might be a waste of time to try to teach him a jutsu that is not suited to him. Instead, I'm going to teach you a new shuriken jutsu," Itachi stated, drawing some shuriken and ninja wire from his pouch. "Observe."

I activated my Byakugan, and noticed Sasuke frown at his inability to activate his own doujutsu. Itachi held a shuriken in each hand, crossed his arms, and threw them both with a backhanded release, sending them outward in a wide arc towards the training posts. Each was on a general trajectory towards one of the outside posts, but seemed to be flying too wide until Itachi applied a slight wrist movement to the ninja wire, causing both shuriken to curve inwards towards their targets. I was disappointed to see that the shuriken still missed their targets; even though they angled towards the middle, it wasn't a sharp enough curve, and they flew just outside the outer posts. Then, with another flip of the wrist, Itachi seized the ninja wire, causing both shuriken to make a hard bank inwards and wrap completely around the outer posts in a circular motion. If it had been an enemy, it would have been wrapping up their torso and restraining them- or wrapping their neck to strangle them. But the surprise wasn't over. The shuriken made a complete loop around the outer posts, but as they continued to circle around for a second time, the length was perfectly measured so that both shuriken stuck into the back of the middle post. In a fight, Itachi could have just strangled two ninja and used the leftover momentum of the shuriken to blindside the third in the back. My jaw dropped.

I knew Itachi was good, but this was ridiculous. There was so much to account for- the initial angle of the throw, the first wrist adjustment, how far to let the wire extend, how sharp the second bank had to be. If I hadn't just witnessed it, I would have called such a technique impossible. It wasn't really a jutsu, just a damn perfect shuriken throw.

"How?" I asked, dumbfounded. Sasuke seemed to preen in the glory of his brother's awesomeness.

Itachi himself fought a slight smirk. "Practice. And more practice. Then practice even more. I'll give you some pointers though. Once you get a feel for how the ninja wire can curve the shuriken, you can start to get fancy like this. For starters, just practice throwing the shuriken wide, then using the wire to curve the weapon back on target."

I nodded. That was doable. Difficult, certainly, but doable. "Do you have any extra ninja wire?" I asked. "I have my own shuriken, but I haven't tried using ninja wire yet. It's not really a Hyuuga specialty."

Itachi nodded and tossed me a spool of wire, then showed me the best ways to tie it to shuriken and kunai. Sasuke already had the basics, so while I practiced curving the shuriken into the target, he practiced looping it around the target. After a full evening's worth of practice, it no longer seemed an impossible task. I still had a long way to go, but I had seen Sasuke become adept at looping the shuriken around the primary target, and now he just needed to practice judging how much spare line to let loose to cause additional havoc. Meanwhile, I could fairly reliably use the wire to curve the shuriken to hit stationary targets.

"Well done, both of you," Itachi said as we collected our weapons for the last time that evening. "You made excellent progress today."

Sasuke beamed at the praise. "Thank you, Itachi san," I answered. "You are an excellent teacher. I'll continue to practice this technique on my own as well. If you don't mind, I'll leave you anonymous if anyone asks who taught me this skill."

I could make out Itachi's smile even in the waning light. "That would be wise. And I do not mind at all. Let's go, Sasuke. Mother and Father will be upset if we aren't home soon."

"Alright. Bye, Tedashi!" Sasuke called, waving as he left.

I waved and started walking home too, but doubled back once I knew the Uchiha brothers were gone, pulling out my equipment again. The sun hadn't quite set yet, after all, and Hyuuga eyes were a bit sharper than most in the dark anyway. I could still get in a few more reps.