Chapter Fifteen

Anakin walks through a dark cave with only enough light to see a couple feet in front of him. Fighting can be heard in the direction he is going. He moves quicker trying to see what is happening, but something in his path trips him up. He falls onto the ground and looks to see what caused the accident. A gasp escapes his mouth as he sees a bruised and injured boy lying next to him who is none other than Ben Skywalker. Anakin moves over to his cousin and holds the boy's head in his arms. "Ben? Ben!"

Ben's eyes slowly open, "Anakin?" A weak cough escapes the boy's mouth. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, cousin. Are you alright?"

"Where were you?" He asks as he ignores the previous question.

"What?" Anakin asks, confused.

Ben's hands grab a hold on Anakin's shirt collar. "Where were you?! Why did you abandon us? Why weren't you here to stop… him…" Ben's strength eases before his grip is lost and his entire body slumps lifeless.

Anakin is lost without words as 'abandoned' echoes through his head. He looks up as his surroundings become much more visible. A slew of bodies lay around him with more and more coming into view as the visibility increases. These aren't just a collection of random bodies, but people he once knew. His mother, Leia, lays clutching the hand of his father, Han. Ackbar, his uncle Thrackan, Lowbacca, were just a few that he saw and all were from his previous life.

From the darkness, a body is thrown from it. With red hair and wielding the famous blue Skywalker lightsaber, Anakin knew this person as his Aunt Mara Jade Skywalker. He tries to call her, but no sound comes from his mouth. He feels his throat for a moment as he tries again with no luck. What's more is that his legs were unresponsive giving him no way to help. Mara pushes herself up and sees him in the distance. She looks at him in shock and a look of sadness and relief fills her eyes after not seeing him for so long. However her distraction made her blind to a red blade and pierced her from behind. A silent yell escapes from Anakin's mouth as he watches the light fade from his aunt's eyes.

His actions are cut short as her attacker appears from behind her falling body. With wide eyes, Anakin looks in horror to discover Jacen standing there with yellow stained eyes. The figure that appears next to his older brother only adds to his heartache. Tahiri is the one to emerge with a darkened expression as she wraps herself around Jacen. The field of view widens more as a dark lady stands on a platform wielding a lightwhip above them with what seems to be a proud face behind the cloth wrapped around her head.

A couple of yells is heard as two new figures jump from behind the trio, one wielding a green lightsaber and the other a purple one. Luke went after the Dark Lady, driven with passion. Jacen pushes Tahiri out of the way as Jaina swings her purple blade to meet his red. Anakin could only watch with an outstretched arm as he felt himself being dragged away from the fight.

"Anakin!" A voice calls to him as he opens his eyes. Anakin finds himself back in his room in Konoha. Sakura is next to his bed holding his arm with a worried expression. "Oh good, you woke up. When I felt you in our bond all I could find was you in distress."

He takes a moment to process before sitting up. "Sorry about that. A dream I had showed nothing good."

She sits beside him, "Must have been a crazy dream. Do you want to talk about it?"

Anakin considered telling her it was nothing, but through the bond he can tell she genuinely is worried. "Sure, however there is nothing pleasant about it. I was in a cave surrounded by the bodies of people I once knew a life ago. I found Ben and all I could get out of him was that I abandoned them." His shoulders slump as he says that.

"Ani, you on many occasions have told me about death and from what I have learned from it is that death doesn't mean you are abandoning someone. Plus from what you have told me about your family, your cousin isn't someone who would think or say such a thing." Sakura reassures him.

"I know, however I feel like it's going to take a bit before my brain and my heart agrees on that." He responds back. "My dream didn't stop there though. You know how I mentioned that Grandfather said Jacen is going down a dark path after my death?" She nods. "Well my dream showed him fallen to the dark side and killing Aunt Mara. Tahiri also stood with him and it appeared like their relationship is closer than it was before."

Sakura furrows her brows, "That's… I don't know what to call that. I knew the two of you have shared something akin to love, so for her to latch onto your older brother feels wrong."

Anakin nods slowly. "Yeah, I know I moved on from her after some time being in this world, but… seeing it just broke something within me."

She moves her hold from his arm down to his hand and squeezes it. "You don't need to defend yourself when it comes to Tahiri. She was your closest friend ever since you started training to become a Jedi, and with that comes feelings that little others can intrude. She obviously holds a special place in your heart and I won't be the one to force you to have to choose between her and I. I hold a good majority of your heart anyways, so I'm willing to share that small space."

"Thanks," He gives a grateful smile before it sours once more. "But the last part of the dream is what scares me. There was another woman there that I'm sure is the one that turned Jacen. She was attacked by Uncle Luke while my older siblings engaged in a fight. Deep down I know that if the twins fight each other, there would be no true winner. If Jacen wins, the death of Jaina by his hands would only push him further to the Dark side. If Jaina wins, she would no doubt be forced to kill him and she'd have to live with it and fight off the Dark Side as well." Anakin squeezes her hand back, "I have no doubt that this dream is fueled by the Force and is either what is to happen, or is currently happening. I hope it is the former and will never come to pass."

"I know you do and I hope so as well. Hopefully Jii-sama is able to find a way to extend the Force bonds you have with your family to prevent that."

"That is the goal." A wired smile graces his lips. "Also, 'Jii-sama'?"

Sakura shrugs, "It's what I'm calling your grandfather since the two of you share the same name." She kisses his cheek and hops off of bed. "Now come on, Ani. If we take too long, Sensei might get the wrong idea as to why we are late."


"Welcome to our first group training session." Asuma addresses Team Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten. The genin are lined up in front of him while the jounin are lined beside him. Lee is on the sidelines in his wheelchair as he is still injured. "Although Naruto is currently out with Jiraiya-sama on a mission, we will have to start without him. Each of us are going to focus on different styles of fighting. Kurenai will teach everyone about genjutsu, Guy will focus on taijutsu, and Kakashi and I will do ninjutsu and the two of us will also alternate with weapon training if any of you wish to try it. Now I know most of you are already specialized with one of these categories, but this training is to help give you some alternative means of fighting because there will be times where your specialized area is more of a detrimental use. If we see that this training goes well, we will see about finding someone who can teach medical jutsus as well. While the four of us can teach you all basic first aid, I have no doubt that a couple of you might have the aptitude for becoming a iryo-nin instead. Although for Lee, because of your condition with your chakra, we will be teaching you how to combat ninjutsu and genjutsu once you are fully healed."

Asuma reaches into his pocket and takes out a handful of paper. "Now before we start, I want each of you to channel your chakra into this piece of paper. This is chakra paper and will tell you which of the five elements you all have an affinity for." He takes a paper from the pile and demostrates it. The paper then rips down the middle. "As you can see, the tear down the center means that my element is wind. Wind is not common in this village as we reside on the land of fire, so most here tend to have fire. Speaking of fire, the paper will catch on fire if you have it. It will also crumble if you have earth, crinkle if you have lightning, and become wet if you have water."

Neji raises his hand, "I don't know why I should find out what my element is since the Hyugas don't incorporate ninjutsus into our fighting style."

Asuma reaches for a cigarette before answering, but Kurenai swats it out of his hand. "Tsk, fine I'll have one later. Anyways, to answer your question Neji, it wouldn't hurt learning a couple ninjutsus to expand your arsenal even if you only fight with taijutsu. It not only would give you another range option than just your kunai and shurikens, but also your enemies would never expect a Hyuga to use ninjutsu and it would allow you to surprise them mid-fight."

Neji nods with contempt. "I can see your point Asuma-sensei and will take it under advisement in coming battles if the Hyuga stance proves to be ineffective."

"That is all I ask," The jounin smiles. "Now each of you come take a piece of paper." Anakin takes a piece and walks a bit back before channeling his chakra into it. He figured that him being an Uchiha would mean that fire would be his primary element and if his 'training' with the Second Hokage is anything to go by, water is probably his secondary. Though the reaction from the paper is not what he expected. First it crinkled, then split in half before one side caught on fire while the other side got wet. Anakin's eyes widen as he looks up to see that everyone else was watching as well. Asuma whistles, "You must have some divine spirit looking out for you. Having four chakra natures is extremely rare to have. Most would have two, maybe three if they are lucky. If I were to put you into a percentile, I'd say you are among the five percentile or less of people in the world."

"I'm guessing there is a one percentile for people with all five," Anakin assumes.

"Honestly I'd say that is being generous. Less than that most likely. My father is the only one alive that I know of that has all five elements," Asuma informs.

"Well I guess the Hokage isn't the Professor for nothing." Anakin comments looking over at his paper.

"No he is not." The jounin agrees. Everyone else gives their papers a try and all end up getting fire as an element, while a few end up getting another one or two elements as well. "Good, now that each of you know what your affinities are, I will explain why knowing what it is is important. Your affinities are what elements you will learn more easily and cost less chakra while also what elements counter your affinities is what you will have more trouble with and cost more chakra. As for which elements counter which, think of it like rock paper scissors but with elements. Fire is weak to water, water is weak to earth, earth is weak to lightning, lightning is weak to wind, and wind is weak to fire. Though take it with a grain of salt as it doesn't mean the elements will counter itself out. For example, if you try to use wind against fire, all it will do is add fuel to fire and make it bigger. Although if your counters are both your affinities then you will not have a problem with it. Anakin for instance, will have a very tough time with earth related ninjutsus while the rest will come much more naturally. "

"That lines up with what Lord Second told me when I copied his water ninjutsus during my fight with him." Anakin tells them. "I had little trouble with them and they didn't take as much chakra when I used them against him."

"I didn't know you copied the Second's water jutsus. Well if you already have a good arsenal of water then that will be one less thing to teach you." Asuma says. "Just be sure to give us a list of what you know so we can know if there are a couple that you would benefit from learning."

Kakashi then adds on, "Although you may know many water jutsus, I would still like to teach you the process of channeling your chakra into water. Coping jutsus with your sharingan may be convenient, but understanding water itself would make your jutsus stronger. Trust me, being the Copycat Ninja is more effective when I understand the elements I am using. I will have you start with this with your training."

"That sounds reasonable to me." Asuma agrees. "Alright, following Kakashi's train of thought, we will begin all of you in training with your primary affinity. After that, we will teach each of you a jutsu with that element for you all to practice on. Once that is done, we will split you all into groups to alternate between training under the four of us to help you with areas you need the most help in."

Anakin falls onto his back exhausted. Sakura plops herself next to him breathing heavily. "I don't think I've trained as hard with chakra as I have today."

"No kidding," He agrees while the breeze rustles the trees near them.

"That is to be expected," Kakashi walks over to them. "Learning the elements can be tricky, but once you learn it'll be like riding a bike. Plus if you ever create jutsus of your own, what you learn here will help out immensely."

Anakin looks over to the masked jonin. "Did it take you a while to make the Chidori?"

"It did, in fact I didn't perfect it until I received the sharingan."

Something pops into the young Uchiha's head. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I accidentally copied Chidori during my fight with Sasuke." Anakin sits up, "I didn't mean to nor did I have plans of using it until I got your permission, but I did end up using it against the Second. I want to tell you I'm sorry and won't use it again until I have your consent." He bows his head in apology.

Kakashi allows the genin to sit in silence for a couple minutes before responding with a sigh. "While I would rather have been the one to teach Chidori to people, I can't really fault you for copying it. Since Chidori's finished product was made with the sharingan in mind, it would have been something you would have learned eventually."

Anakin picks his head up, "Really? You'd let me learn it in the future?"

The lone visible eye closes like a smile. "Of course I would have. I made a promise that I would protect the legacy of Obito's clan alive after what happened to the Uchiha's. While I will admit at the time I meant it for Sasuke as he was the only known survivor, I have since extended it towards you as well ever since the Wave. I will teach the two of you everything I know of the sharingan and how to use it effectively, which included the Chidori. The only thing I ask is that you never use it on your allies." Kakashi raises a finger. "Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. If you can do that, then you can use it to your heart's content."

"I believe I can make that promise." Anakin agrees.

"I expect nothing less from my eternal rival! Even under that cool and hip exterior is someone bursting with youthfulness!" Guy yells out.

"This is very youthful indeed, Guy-sensei!" Lee shouts from the sidelines.

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Spare me," Kurenai grumbles with her hands over her ears. Asuma gives a strain chuckle next to her while watching the two green spandex play off each other.

Hinata makes her way to them. "By the way Sensei, why do you have a sword now?"

"Oh this?" Kakashi gestures to the one on his back. He unsheathes it to show to everyone. "This was my father's tanto that gives off white streaks of chakra which earned him the name, White Fang. It broke on me during the Third Shinobi World War, but fighting with Sakura's blade against Sidious made me miss using it. So I had it repaired."

This gets Tenten excited as she rushes over, almost knocking the others out of her way. "This is the famous White Light Chakra Blade?! That's so cool! I never thought I'd ever see it! You gotta let me hold it!"

Kakashi gives a chuckle, "Alright, but only because you asked so nicely." A couple others snorted at the comment.

As Tenten squeals with happiness and a little lust, which creeps a few of the genin out, Anakin speaks up. "Well if you want to knock off some rust off of your kenjutsu Master Kakashi, Sakura and I could use a third person during our training. It would do her some good to spar against someone bigger and stronger than we are. It'll help me teach her about thinking about how to deal with someone able to overpower her."

Much to Tenten's disappointment, Kakashi retrieves the blade and sheathes it back. "That sounds good to me. While I don't doubt my abilities to wield it with ease, refining the edges before placing myself into a death match wouldn't hurt. However we'll have to set a date for that as I doubt you all are able to train any more today to make it worthwhile. Everyone, I believe that is it for today's training session. You all put in some good effort and we'll see you all again next time." He disappears in a swirl of leaves,


Later that day, there are sounds of children screaming and running. "Go faster, they're right behind us!" They turn the corner of a house, but one of them trips and falls. "Oh no, Joey fell!" "Forget Joey, he'll make a good distraction!" Joey pleas for help to no avail. He turns around and sees the pursuers zero in on his position. The young five year old is left defenseless as the pursuers reach him. Joey is now left with nothing but laugh and giggles as a hundred little lights swarm around, tickling him. A dozen or so wisties break off from the main swarm and resume chasing down the rest of the children.

Anakin stands off to the side watching the children play with the wisties. Sakura walks up next to him with an older woman who says, "I must thank you again Uchiha-san for doing this for the children."

He smiles, "No thanks necessary Headmistress and you can call me Anakin."

"But thanks are indeed necessary, Anakin." The Headmistress of the orphanage disagrees. "With all that has happened in the past month and many of the children losing their parents, it's wonderful to hear the laughter of children in these halls once again. It brings a warm feeling in this old woman's heart."

"Honestly it's no trouble at all ma'am. The wisties feed off of laughter and love getting it from children the most. I don't let them out as often as they would like so it's a win for both the wisties and the children."

The older woman chuckles watching the wisties engulf another kid with only laughter being heard. "Regardless, a shinobi taking time out of their day to do this says a lot about who they are. Even if some of these children go onto being shinobi themselves, it doesn't mean that they can't have a happy childhood as well. Insuring that is one of the reasons I retired from the shinobi life and opened this place. I've seen what wars can do and there are too many parentless shinobi in the world."

Anakin silently agrees as he continues watching the children have their fun. After some time, he and Sakura take their leave (much to the children's dismay), but promise to return again. They are now wandering the village together hand in hand with no real destination. The village has been putting in a lot of work in rebuilding to the point where one could hardly tell they were attacked recently. "I wonder if we'll ever hear the results for the Chunin exams." The Uchiha ponders.

"Well given that we were attacked in the middle of it," Sakura comments as kids run throughout the streets playing ninja, "I doubt promoting a genin or two is a high priority for the Hokage at the moment."

"True enough," He agrees.

"How's that thing going you and Sasuke are doing?" She changes the subject.

Anakin answers, "We got a decent starting point after the first day, but information afterwards is harder to come by."

"Are you still unable to tell me what it is you two are doing?"

"As much as I would like to, Sasuke wants to keep it just within the clan at the moment." He answers. "Though I have mentioned that we might have to bring in someone from the outside eventually. I found something I can't, for the life of me, figure out."

"Well I'm here if you guys need me." Sakura offers.

He nods, "I know Sweetness. I believe it won't be long before we will need all the help we can get."

She tilts her head in question, "What do you mean by that? Is it something dangerous?"

"Well…" Anakin thinks it over for a moment. "It can easily turn out to be dangerous. I can't tell you much other than I have encountered what seems to be a secret anbu group within the village, and I doubt they belong to the Hokage."

This gets her worried, "Anbu?! Look Ani I know you are strong, we all witnessed it during the fight with Orochimaru and Sidious, but that is when you had the backing of the Hokage, Jiraiya, and our Senseis. You can maybe handle one anbu by yourself on a good day, but not a group of them especially if they know who you are."

"Don't worry, I know my limits. I won't be charging myself into a fight I can't handle alone." He assures her. "If it is too much for me and Sasuke, then I'll seek out help."

"Good that's all-" Sakura is interrupted by a commotion in the streets. In front of them are two groups of Hyuga clan members staring each other down with Hinata, Neji, and Ko among one side.

"The Byakugan is the property of the Hyuga clan!" One of the clan members shouts. "Since she has renounced us, then she doesn't deserve to keep any clan property!"

Neji steps protectively in front of Hinata, "She was born with those eyes and Byakugan or not, our clan has no right to take her eyes from her!" A few branch members also voices the same.

"No one asked what you think," The leader of the main group spat. "Prodigy or not, the opinions of the branch members have no voice in what we do! All you are good for is being the dogs for the main house, the cursed marks on your foreheads are the leashes we hold on you!" The other members of the main house murmurs in agreement.

Ko steps up, "Well as a main house member I have a say and I'm on the side of Neji-sama. We have no right taking her eyes from her."

"Of course you don't, all you are was a caretaker for that bitch!" The leader states. "Your voice is small compared to the rest of the main house."

"As small as it may be, you forget she has left the clan and as such she is free from any decisions the Hyuga council makes. Hinata-sama now only answers to the Hokage himself and any actions taken against her is an action against the Hokage and Konoha itself." Ko reminds them.

"As if the Hyuga clan would take actions against the village," The leader says casually. "Rumor has it she has been shacking up with the demon brat, so who's to say that one night the demon loses control during one of their lustful nights and gouges her eyes out? That blonde brat is a loose cannon and could attack the village at any time just as it did over a decade ago."

"You do realize that speaking of such things is breaking the law of the Hokage? I could have you thrown in a cell for just that." Ko scowls.

The other shrugs, "Last I checked, I said nothing to break any laws. Even if I did, it would be your word against ours as there is no way I'd allow the branch members here to say anything." The main house members laugh in agreement as Ko clicks his tongue.

Anakin has had enough and steps in. "Is there a problem here?"

"It's none of your business Uchiha punk. This is a Hyuga clan business and you have no part in it." The Leader tells him.

"As far as I am concerned, Hinata is currently residing in the Uchiha district which would mean she is under the protection of my clan. So it sounds like it is my business and if you have a problem with her then you have a problem with me." Anakin glares at the leader with sharingan eyes.

The main house stands their ground, "Those eyes do not intimidate me. Last I checked, the Uchihas are a clan of two and the Hyugas are a clan of a hundred. We outnumber you and those eyes you are proud of can't save you even when there are only fourteen of us here."

He arches a brow, "Oh don't worry, I can easily even the odds." Anakin quickly goes through his summons and a pack of nexu appears snarling behind him. Sakura stands at his side with a hand on her sword. At this point, any onlooker has cleared the streets and stores have locked their doors. Hinata, Neji, Ko, and the branch members move to join the side of Anakin who smirks. "Now who is the one outnumbered?"

"Tsk, this isn't worth the trouble." The leader says as the main house turns away. "You better watch yourself, Uchiha. Making an enemy with the Hyuga clan is the worst thing you can do. We have the most influence in this village and you disappearing with the demon whore is something that isn't impossible."

Anakin watches them walk away before facing the nexu, "Thanks guys, you make for great intimidation tactics. Best I send you back." One of the nexu yelps in defiance. He sighs, "Well if you really want to stay longer, there's a place that is perfect for you all. Training Grounds Forty-Four tends to have beasts and creatures of every shape and size. It should be a good place for you guys to hunt in, but just for a couple of hours and you cannot go anywhere else. Got it?" The pack perks up with excitement. "Alright, just head over that way then." The nexu heads in the direction that Anakin points them to. "And don't attack anyone on your way there!" He then gives his attention to Hinata. "Sorry about that, you alright?"

She nods, "Yes I am fine. Thank you Anakin."

"I would also like to extend my thanks to your arrival as well," Ko adds in. "I was afraid that if it kept up any longer then a fight would have appeared."

"Has it really gotten that bad?" The Uchiha asks.

"Well usually I can avoid them fairly well and when I can't it usually only ends up with a snide comment in passing. This was the worst it ever got." Hinata answers. "It seems I really kicked the hornets nest during the Chunin exams."

One of the branch members speaks up, "Nonsense! You merely spoke what us branch members have been thinking for years. It's because of you that we now have the confidence to finally speak out about it." The other branch members voice their agreement.

"As much as I don't disapprove of writing the wrongs the main house has done, it really caused a divide in the clan." Ko explains. "And it doesn't help that when someone from the main house invokes the seal, it only adds fuel to the fire."

"Your worry is well founded Ko-san," Another member chimes in. "However we are fully aware of the consequences that would occur if we cannot settle this with a discussion between the houses. We would like to avoid physical conflict if possible."

"I know you guys do and I can assure you that there are other main house members that share my views of rectifying the branch's situation. What scares me is that our voices are indeed small and the council may end up ignoring our pleas." Ko tells them.

"Neji, you've been quiet. What are your thoughts on this?" Sakura asks the Hyuga prodigy.

He crosses his arms and sighs, "I think that fate has already decreed what our position in the clan is and will be. However I would like to think that Hinata-sama is correct about what she has told me about fate, and for that I am willing to follow her lead on the chance that she is correct."

"That is right!" The branch members shouts. "We all are behind Hinata-sama on this! If she believes that she has the power to break the current system the main house enforces, then we will follow her!"

Hinata blushes at the confession from the branch house's willingness. "I meant every word I said." She then looks at the ground with determination, "If you all are willing to follow me then I will gladly lead you in my efforts of breaking the wheel the main house holds!" The branch members cheer at her declaration.

"Okay I love the determination," Anakin cuts in. "But if you all keep this up in the streets then the village will begin to think you're starting a revolution."

"You're right Anakin," Ko agrees. "There's no doubt the anbu have already informed the Hokage of what is happening, so it might be best we clear out. Our battlefield is on the council floor and we better prepare for it." He takes the branch members away leaving the four genin in the streets. The civilians see that the commotion has disappeared and they all come out of hiding and continue about their day.

Neji then asks Anakin, "Did you mean what you said about Hinata-sama being under the Uchiha clan's protection?"

"I do. Though I should mention that it could be overturned. There's a chance that because there are only two underage Uchihas and no real clan head, just an heir, it is very limited what we can do for her. If Sasuke is able to become a chunin then he would be able to take the title as Head of the Clan instead and we'd be able to do more." The Jedi tells the Hyuga prodigy.

Sakura pops into the conversation, "Um, could you explain how you are able to protect her?"

"I talked it over with Sasuke and he said it basically boils down to an almost business-like relationship. The Uchiha district is private property and the Uchihas are the ones that own it. We are 'loaning' out our property to Hinata which makes her indebted to us. Because she is indebted to us, we technically 'own' her until she is able to pay off her debt. As long as we 'own' her, she in turns becomes our 'property' and we will fight to protect our 'property'. " Anakin then lowers his voice considerably, "Although that is the logic Sasuke has taken and will be giving everyone who asks about it. In truth, after everything has settled with her, he won't be collecting any payment for it."

Neji looks content, "Limited or not, any protection helps her current case of avoiding losing her eyes or getting the caged bird seal implanted on her. That is all I wished to know and I'll be sure to only give people the public reasoning if anyone wishes to ask. Hinata-sama I will look through my father's things to see if I can find anything useful."

Hinata nods, "Alright Neji-nii-san. I'll see you later." The Hyuga boy gives his goodbyes to the other two before leaving. "Are you guys out on a date?"

"Of sorts," Sakura answers, taking her boyfriend's hand. "We stopped by the orphanage and let Issillda and her sisters play with the kids, but now we're just enjoying the day. How are you and Naruto now? You guys have been together almost two months now right?"

The pale eyed girl nods with a faint blush, "We are doing good. It's still hard to believe sometimes that it's real."

"Well you better get everything you can from it. Anakin-kun and I didn't work so hard getting Naruto to see you that way just for it to end." She teases.

Hinata giggles, "You can bet I will. Just because it's hard to believe doesn't mean I'm not taking advantage of it."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it sounds like you are the one leading the relationship." Anakin jest, but the sly look from his childhood friend makes him reconsider. "Or maybe I don't know better and you have him wrapped around your finger."

She sticks out her pinky finger and twirls it in the air, "I have him wrapped around this one. Naruto-kun isn't escaping from me any time in the coming centuries."

"Aww that's so cute! Ani, we need to think of something to one-up that." Sakura expresses before she tries to put her mind to work. Anakin sighs as he shakes his head with a smile.

Hinata giggles at the couple before her, "I think the two of you are cute enough as it is. Anymore and you risk the chance of outshining Naruto-kun and I."

A lightbulb goes off in the pinkette's head. "That's it! We'll become Konoha's hottest young couple! Then everyone can only be in awe when we walk down the street and I can rub it in Ino-pig's face!"

"You're ridiculous." Anakin can only reply.

Sakura plays innocent, "Oh please, you know you love me for it."

"Don't I know it," He kisses her cheek.

"Seriously if you two tried doing something like that then you'd only make any other relationship look lame in comparison." Hinata tells them.

"Well I can't argue the truth," Sakura casually agrees. "Oh! Whenever Naruto comes back we definitely need to set up a double date!"

"That sounds wonderful," She responds. "While we are at it, we can stop by Ino's family flower shop and make her jealous!"

"That's just evil!" Sakura wraps an arm around Hinata, "I like it! Ani, Hinata and I are going to start plotting our double date. I'll see you at home."

He steals a kiss from her lips, "Alright Sweetness. Hinata makes sure she stays out of trouble." Hinata tells him she would and the two girls head off. Unsure of what to do with his now freed up day, he decides to see where the current path he is on leads. The path takes him out of the village and has a river running right beside it. Anakin picks up what appears to be hints of chakra being used further down the path and picks up his pace. As he gets closer, sounds of fighting can be heard which leads him to jump into the trees to hide himself until he finds out what is going on. The scene comes into view a few tree hops later and Anakin is shocked. Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi are currently battling two ninjas in black cloaks with red clouds. It's one of the two ninjas that has Anakin so shocked. Suddenly a memory flashed in his mind from years ago where his parents were slade right in front of him and then finding a sword going through his own stomach with the last thing he saw that night were the same red sharingan eyes that this newcomer has. Itachi Uchiha has returned home. A voice in the back of his mind is telling him to run, but his feet remain frozen in the trees. His breathing becomes shaky and his heart pumps faster. Anakin has thought he has moved past this, however the actions of his body prove otherwise.

The other mystery ninja swings his massive weapon that is covered in wrapping at the Konoha jounin, which breaks Anakin from his previous thoughts. He quickly analyzes the situation and sees that none of them seem to notice his presence. Anakin formulates a plan in his head to take advantage of his situation. He is no idiot though, for he knows he cannot hope to take on Itachi as he is now. Anakin also has no doubt that the other ninja with him, who seems to resemble a man with shark traits, is most likely near the same level. No, Anakin's best bet in this situation is to do a quick sneak attack then provide back up for his jounin masters as they fight. He hops away just far enough for them not to see what is about to come for them. With the summoning jutsu, he brings forth a colo claw fish into the river. The twenty meter long creature has a long crocodile snout with two claw forelimbs with the rest of its body resembling an eel. Anakin jumps onto the back of the claw fish preparing another jutsu as it quickly races up the river, eager for a meal.

The five battling shinobi are in the river waiting for each other to make a move when a nameless ninja notices a difference in the water and gets a look of surprise after finding the source, "What in the ever living hell is that?!" Everyone else turns their head to try to get a better look, but on the opposite side the river contorts and forms into a water dragon. Anakin jumps off the claw fish as it and his water dragon jutsu lunges at the two cloaked shinobi. The young Uchiha lands on the water next to his jounin and applies chakra to his feet to stand on it. Water crashes as the attack shakes the river.

Kakashi turns to Anakin with his tanto raised before realizing who it is, "What are you doing here?!"

Anakin snarkily replies, "Sorry, I got lost on the path of life."

"And you felt you needed to make such a grand entrance?" The genin shrugs as Kakashi feels the need to face palm. "Well whatever the reason, as long as you are here you might as well make yourself useful. Stay behind us and give us cover. Itachi is a known genjutsu expert and having another sharingan on our side to see through it is appreciated."

"Yes Master Kakashi," Anakin pulls out a kunai as the water settles back into the river with Itachi only having to change positions avoiding the water dragon.

The other currently has his weapon between the jaws of the claw fish attempting to eat him. "Let go of Samehada, you overgrown eel!" The weapon spikes up and it causes the claw fish to let go. The shinobi then bats the creature back down the river with great strength. With a smirk, he directs his attention to the Leaf shinobi. "I like your style, an attack like that was uncalled for and unexpected. What's your name kid?"

Before an answer can be said, Itachi is the one to speak. "Hisao," This is less of a question and more of a confirmation. He has little doubt he had mistaken the boy for anyone else. Sure, the genin now has ice blue eyes and white streaks in his hair, but everything else resembles the boy he killed through many years ago.

Anakin flinches for a moment not expecting to hear that name again. "Not anymore, I go by Anakin now."

The so far nameless shinobi looks at his partner in question. "You know this kid?"

Itachi closes his eyes for a moment. "I did Kisame, and if I'm not mistaken I stabbed him through the heart and spilled out the contents of his stomach. How he is standing here before us is a mystery to me."

"Oh you did alright, I still have the scars to prove it. You're just sloppy at making sure someone stays dead." The genin says back.

Kisame raises a brow, "An Uchiha with a sense of humor? Can we keep him, Itachi?"

"No, I will just have to complete a job I left unfinished." The older Uchiha says with his sharingan spinning. Anakin sees that it is changing from its three tomoe form into the new fourth form that he saw Kakashi use during the fight against Sidious.

Said masked ninja quickly cuts in, "Asuma, Kurenai don't look at his eyes! Only people with a sharingan can have a go with that technique."

"Indeed with a sharingan, you can resist this Mangekyou Sharingan to a certain extent," Itachi begins.


Anakin feels a force invade his body as the world around him changes. He is tied to a stake in a distorted world with no one else. "However there is little you can do against it with your current eyes..." The older Uchiha appears before the genin with a katana and his brow slightly raises when he sees the boy. Anakin in here looks completely different from the one in the physical world. This one has brown hair and has the body of someone in their later teen years. The only thing the two bodies have in common are the ice blue eyes. He lowers the katana, "You are not Hisao."

"I am and I'm not," Anakin replies.

"No, you are not even in the slightest," Itachi insists as he stabs Anakin who grunts from the pain. "You are now in the world of the Tsukuyomi, and for the next seventy-two hours I have you trapped in this genjutsu at my mercy. I originally was planning to just continuously stab you the entire time and kill you, but seeing you as you are now only raises questions for me. So now you will answer every question I ask and if I'm unsatisfied by any of your answers I will start stabbing you. It would be in your best interest to obey me because we will be here for a while. In fact, seventy-two hours here goes by slower than in the real world. There is no breaking out of it, so answer. Who are you and why are you possessing Hisao's body?"

"I am Anakin Uchiha-So-" The genin is cut off by a stab in the stomach.

"You are not an Uchiha!" The older Uchiha furrows his brow. "The only person I know who would want to take over the body of an Uchiha is Orochimaru, but you are obviously not him. Nor do I believe you work for him as he wouldn't give his underlings the Kekkei Genkai he so craves. So tell me who you truly are."

Anakin grunts out an answer, "I am who I said!" Itachi stabs him again, but this does stop the boy from speaking. "I have the memory of you barging into my home in the middle of the night and killing my whole life right in front of my eyes!" Another stab. "It's because of you I never got to meet my baby sister!" A third stab is halted momentarily.

"Sister? Now I know you are lying. Hisao had no sister." Itachi awaits the chance to stab again once the faker realizes he messed up. However what he gets is a furious expression.

The genjutsu shakes as Anakin shouts, "I didn't have a sister because you gutted her out from my mom's stomach you bastard!"

Itachi doesn't go through with stabbing the boy. Instead he thinks back all those years ago for any evidence that supports this claim. Itachi had made a note to remember the names of everyone he killed that night and he remembers seeing Hisao's family in passing a few times. It's during those memories that he indeed does notice the mother's stomach growing bigger during the later stages. Itachi does not regret his decision as it ensured the safety of both the village and Sasuke. The life of the shinobi is dark and at times they are faced with doing things that are not to be proud of. Guilt has never been a thing he has felt ever since he massacred the clan. He felt nothing as he killed not just the men, but the women, and the children too. Itachi found it best to think of them like animals and he slaughtered them like animals. However the one thing he didn't take into account was there being unborn life among them. While he is sure he isn't feeling guilty for it, he doesn't feel the same emotionless state he felt for the rest of the clan.

He looks up to the boy on the stake. Itachi notices the anger, but oddly he can't find any trace of the Curse of Hatred that was commonly found within the other members of the Uchiha clan. Could there really be a possibility that he truly is an Uchiha who isn't affected by the curse? Just who is he? "You said your name is Anakin correct?"

"Yes," Anakin answers, confused but still angry.

"And you claim to be Hisao despite your mental body being completely different?"

"It doesn't matter to me whether you believe I'm telling the truth or not. I've had numerous sessions with Inoichi-san to get to where I am to accept the fact of who I am. I am both Hisao and Anakin, and I will not be tempted to revert back to believing that I am two different people again! So go ahead and stab me non-stop for your seventy-two hours! My answer will remain the same afterwards!" He proclaims, clenching his fist.

Itachi studies the genin again. The boy seems to truly believe what he is saying and claims to have the resolve to keep it. "Very well, we will come back to test that resolve after I finish my questions. Tell me, what is your goal? Are you joining Sasuke in hopes of avenging the clan I massacred?"

"While that sounds tempting, no. I want justice."

"Are they not the same?"

"You're just like your brother," Anakin scoffs. "They are not. Revenge is a personal pursuit and tends to leave the person with no closure true afterwards. Justice is making sure the culprit receives a fitting punishment. Make no mistake, I will ensure the culprits will receive their due."

Curiosity catches the older Uchiha, "Culprits? You just got done explaining how you caught me in the act that you were the victim to. There is no mystery of who did it, I freely admit that I alone killed them all."

Anakin narrows his eyes, "I am aware you played your part in it, but I do not believe you were alone in the act nor the reason you gave Sasuke about why you did it. I will find out and ensure everyone involved faces judgment."

Itachi catches himself from turning his lip upwards. It seems there might be hope for our clan yet. With him by Sasuke's side, I have no doubt that they will make the Uchiha clan great. "While that sounds perfect in theory, you must know that in our line of work the picture perfect ending doesn't exist. Even if it does, it only takes having eyes like mine to be able to stand against me. Without it, you can copy a thousand jutsus like Kakashi and still not be a match for me."

"You underestimate the power of the Force."

The Force? The missing ninja instantly thinks of the man and woman that he met during one of his talks with Madara. Itachi caught a glimpse into this 'Force' power they wield and it was like nothing he felt before. If this kid has the same power, then he will be needed for the upcoming battles. But first, the kid must be tested. He needs to understand the one standing before him. "Hm, let's see how well your Force helps you. If you survive, I will recognize your resolve and agree to you being an Uchiha."

The world changes once again and Anakin finds himself on the fourth moon of Yavin once again where Luke had restarted the Jedi Order in the old Rebel Alliance base within the temple. The temple looks to be in ruins with blast marks all over it. The vegetation around the temple is very overgrown and dense, making the only possible path to be heading inside of it. Anakin makes his way inside and it looks as if the place hasn't been habitable for decades. Vines litter the starships in the hanger and dust covers all. It is so deserted that not even the common womp rat dares to live inside. A flick of a light switch tells Anakin that electricity doesn't even work, so he is forced to venture on in the dark. Every door he tries is sealed so shut that not even the Force can pry them open. With every step he takes, the less visibility he has which makes him have to rely on the Force to guide him. A hand moving along the wall to help him navigate, he finally feels a door that gives way. Anakin takes note of it and tries to keep moving forward only to have a dead end right next to it. He backs up to where he was before he reached the door only to feel a wall blocking his path. Somehow the hallway he was in has turned into a small room big enough for a utility closet. He goes into the room and after taking a couple steps forwards, the doorway disappears along with the walls. Anakin now has nothing to help him navigate the pitch black area with walking forwards being the only logical option.

After walking for who knows how long, a violet light finally simmers in the distance. Anakin starts walking a bit faster towards it while shielding his eyes from being blinded after spending so long in the dark. His foot makes a splash that sends something wet up his legs. Another step does the same. The floor appears to have some kind of liquid that is about a few centimeters deep. Anakin prays it just water as he continues towards the light. His prayer goes unanswered as the liquid takes a red color. Blood has flooded the entire area. Anakin does his best not to be creeped out as he finally reaches the source of the light. Nostalgia smacks him in the face to see that the light is none other than his former lightsaber. "Hey there old friend," He says once he picks it up. The blood runs off the lightsaber as if it was allergic to it. The violet blade then shuts off allowing the dark of black to fill the area. Although confused by why it shut itself off, he flips the ignition on his old weapon which makes light flood the entire area. Just like in his dream, bodies litter the visible area. However, unlike his dream, he sees his friends and family still alive. Both of them. His Solo/Skywalker ones on one side and his Uchiha ones on the other.

Jacen steps forwards, "Anakin where have you been?" He outstretches a hand. "Come little brother, we've all missed you."

His Uchiha mom steps forwards holding a bundle in her arms. "Hisao, there you are. Come dear, you have to meet your little sister."

Jacen gives a cold glare at the mother, "You are not his family. Anakin belongs with us."

The Uchiha father steps protectively in front of his wife. "Hisao came to us and I am not handing my son over to the likes of you."

Jacen pulls out his lightsaber hilt, "I am not asking. You took Anakin from us," He then turns to Anakin, "and you will come back to us or else."

Anakin is almost afraid to ask, "Or else what?"

Jacen smirks as his lightsaber emits a red blade. In horror, he watches his older brother decapitate the father. Then he goes around and starts to kill off members of both families and friends. Anakin's feet manage to respond this time around as he brings his violet blade up to stop his brother's attacks. What is worse, Jacen's current target is the mother with a bundle in her arms. His legs feel as if they are on fire as he tries to stop the blade from hitting its mark. A baby's cry and the hum of a lightsaber ends any hope Anakin had of saving them. By now, the Konoha twelve have started to attempt to defend themselves as everyone else falls to the floor. His heart is crushed even further when Tahiri joins his older brother's action. He feels like he is running on a treadmill at the rate he is going to close the distance. One by one, each genin member goes down. Neji, Kiba, Tenten, Ino, Lee, Choji, Sasuke, Shino all add their bodies to the flooded ground. Hinata tries her best to fend off Tahiri, but the Hyuga is little match against the fallen Jedi. Naruto is overcome with such a rage that his skin is torn away for a blood red fox like body. His transformation continues into bones and muscle making him one step away from the Nine-tailed fox. Jacen is temporarily pushed back, but the area around his eyes darkens and yellow glows from his eyes. With both hands, he lifts the demon fox muscle into the air and moves them apart, tearing the body into pieces.

Finally, Sakura is all that is left standing as she engages Tahiri. Though the blonde takes control of the fight with ease as a steel sword cannot withstand the blade of a lightsaber. The pink haired girl receives numerous strikes, two of which slices her achilles tenants forcing her to drop to the floor. Tahiri raises her blade to finish Sakura off, but Anakin finally makes it in time to block the attack. His former friend gives him a look of fury, "This is what you left me for?!" She starts to attack Anakin. "I loved you, we agreed to pursue each other, but you turned your back on that promise like you turned your back on me!" The strikes hit harder with each strike.

"I didn't mean to leave you," Anakin tries to defend himself. "I didn't want to die, but the mission-"

"Fuck the mission!" Tahiri's movement has become erratic. "You're a selfish bastard for taking the easy way out! You left me," Strike. "And you left Jacen!" A red blade cuts in the fight and Anakin is forced to move out the way and reposition himself.

Jacen has entered the duel. "As you can see little brother, your actions caused me to embrace the Dark Side."

"While I know that losing me must have been difficult for you both, embracing the Dark Side would have been your decision. Besides, Grandfather must have told you I was still alive!" Anakin parries a strike from Tahiri and locks blades with Jacen.

"Have you ever considered that you being alive is the causing factor for my turn?" The older brother retorts.

Anakin falters for a moment, "What? What do you…"

"Why do you think we have been going on about you leaving us?" Tahiri asks. "It's because that is what you have done! You killed yourself just to get away from us and find another family!"

"You have abandoned us!" Jacen finishes knocking Anakin back from the saber lock. "And no amount of a long way Force Bond communication will stop us from turning. Because that would mean you intend to stay where you are and never return to us!"

"If we can't have you, then no one can!" The blonde eyes the job she left unfinished and rushes to Sakura. Anakin runs after her but realizes he won't be fast enough to stop her. With a heavy heart, he throws his lightsaber and Tahiri stops running when a violet blade pierces her chest. She turns to Anakin with a broken expression. A tear rolls down Anakin's eye as she collapses to the floor. He falls to his knees unable to find any strength to stand.

A hand then rests on his shoulder. "So… you truly have turned your back on us." Time seems to slow for Anakin as he watches Jacen walk from behind him to Sakura. "Perhaps if your link to this world is killed, then you will finally come home." The fallen Jedi is unable to attempt anything as Anakin, who is devoid of emotion for the moment, has his lightsaber fly from Tahiri's body into Jacen's. The threat of Sakura's life has disappeared when a splash is made from the body. Anakin drags himself to Sakura and he takes her into his arms. The blood from the floor has all but stained both of their clothes and some of their skin. However relief isn't given to him as Sakura is ripped from his hands. He looks to the direction she went and finds Jacen and Tahiri standing there. Anakin looks on the ground for their bodies and doesn't find him. Jacen gives an evil grin. "What? Do you think it would be that easy? We have only just begun. You still have seventy-one hours, forty-three minutes, and twenty-nine seconds left." Anakin's eyes widen and blood pours from it as he watches the red blade come down towards Sakura.


"Indeed with a sharingan, you can resist this Mangekyou Sharingan to a certain extent," Itachi begins. Asuma and Kurenai keep their eyes closed. They wait for Itachi to complete his sentence, but he doesn't. Instead they feel the water around them shake as if someone were unsteady. "Impressive, they both survived."

Kurenai dares to peek over to her student to see him look as if he has been awake for three days and swaying. She grabs hold of Anakin to keep him from falling. "Anakin! Asuma, get Kakashi!"

The jounin directs his eyes away from Itachi and moves for the masked ninja. "What happened to you both? We just closed our eyes a second ago and you both are worn out."

"That would be because I placed the two of them under a powerful genjutsu where time moves slower. Three seconds here is seventy-two hours there. I will commend them for making it through. Everyone I placed under it died." Itachi explains. The sound of his voice makes Anakin stir and gain some semblance of balance. When he is in a standing position, he looks up with a maddening glare.

"Itachi, isn't that…" Kisame trails off.

Itachi furrows his brow, "I may have gone too far with him."

"Kurenai, he's bleeding!" Asuma exclaims as she looks her genin over in surprise. She finds that blood has started to leak from Anakin's eyes and that his normal three tomoe sharingan eyes have shifted into a winged shape. White chakra starts surrounding him and shapes into a rib cage with skeletal arms. One of the arms raises into a fist and comes flying towards the two cloaked shinobi. Red chakra surrounds the older Uchiha as a skeletal body forms around him and catches the fist.

"A skeletal Susanoo? Shit Itachi, you just gave the boy a powerup." Kisame states bring his weapon up. "Oh well, nothing Samehada can't eat since it is made up of chakra." He moves to strike, but water erupts next to him and the colo claw fish emerges from it. The shark shinobi is forced to stop his attack and evade getting eaten. "You're still here?!" Snarls come from behind the cloaked shinobi on the river banks. The pack of nexu Anakin summoned earlier have noticed their summoner in danger and came to defend him. "And you brought friends?! Itachi, what kind of creatures live here?"

"They are not native here. If I had to guess, they are most likely summons and seeing as Hisao was the one riding one, they are probably his." Itachi pushes the opposing Susanoo back. The claw fish swims underneath his Susanoo and springs through the gap in its defense. He jumps back and with a look, black flames engulf the aquatic beast. It screams in pain and fails to put the flames out even while underwater. It then disappears in a cloud of smoke, leaving only one of its claws still burning. A yell is heard and Kisame is taken by surprise by a man in a green jumpsuit. The shark-like ninja is thrown onto the river banks where the awaiting nexu licks their lips before pouncing. Kisame scrabbles up and notices his sword has left his grip mid-flight. Before he is jumped, the nexu was stopped by the red ribs of Itachi's Susanoo.

Might Guy pulls up beside his fellow shinobi, "So who are they?"

"The emo looking one is Itachi Uchiha, and the other is Kisame, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Both are S-class missing ninjas." Asuma quickly explains.

"I believe we have overstayed our welcome." Itachi states while moving his Susanoo for his partner to collect his weapon.

"What do you mean? We hardly ever get a good fight anymore." Kisame complains while picking up Samehada.

"You ain't going anywhere!" Anakin bellows as he rushes them. Itachi's Susanoo begins to change with armor now surrounding the body. A sword appears in its hand and it cracks Anakin's Susanoo from a strike from it.

"While it is impressive that you managed to create a skeletal Susanoo so soon after you awakened your Mangekyou Sharingan, however you are a fool to think that is enough to match my own armored Susanoo. However for amusing me, let me give you a fair warning. Use your Mangekyou sparingly. Too much use and you will become blind." And unlike Sasuke, you have no living family to obtain the Eternal Mangekyou. It then strikes again and the white skeleton shatters, sending the genin within it flying back into Kurenai's arms. "Kisame we are leaving. Naruto is obviously not in the village anymore." Anakin's eyelids become heavy as exhaustion takes over him. The last thing he sees before losing consciousness is the two missing ninjas leaving with the nexu hot on their trail and Kurenai's worried face.


Author's Notes: Sorry about the long wait! The new God of War and Pokemon came out last month and I've been busy playing them both. (lousy excuse, but it's the one I'm using.) I hope the wait was worth it for this chapter. Delved a bit more into the conflict within Anakin about what is happening to his family in the Legends timeline. What happened within the Tsukuyomi of Anakin, Tahiri, and Jacen is just Itachi using Anakin's inner fears against him instead of doing what he did to Kakashi. If someone else from the Uchiha clan survived, naturally Itachi would be curious about it and want to be sure if the survivor truly did deserve to survive. Now for the elephant of this chapter, Anakin awakening his Mangekyou. What he experienced in the Tsukuyomi after having to kill Tahiri and Jacen repeatedly for 72hrs, both people that he loves, would meet the conditions for awakening it. To some of you, this might be too early for this to happen and Anakin may be seen as OP. However him awakening it after his first meeting with Itachi is something I had planned since I first started writing this fanfic. Please bear with me and trust the process because I have a reason for doing this. I'm taking a path I have not seen anyone take when it comes to the drawback of the normal Mangekyou. I hope that clears out the big stuff.

DS2010: The Sith tend to never be up to any good. Except for Darth Marr, he is my man and I was crushed when he died. He was able to make the Sith put aside their hatred for the Jedi and formed a joint alliance between the Sith Empire and the old Republic.

dragon44pride: That is actually not a bad idea. It would make sense for other people around the ninja world to discover they are Force sensitive and trained in their own way. I hope you don't mind if I use that.

Well that is it for me. I'll attempt to go back to monthly uploads as long as more games don't end up releasing all at once again. Thanks for reading and I'll talk at y'all next time!