Prep 1-4
[Konoha]
[April 8, 3 bNb]
It was supposed to be a simple wartime mission, but I guess the words simple, and wartime don't really mix. Ambushed by Iwagakure shinobi while on her way to deliver a new set of instructions to an outpost near the Kusagakure border with her team.
I had always thought about it, she was a genin fighting in one of the bloodiest wars in history. Of all the villages, Konoha had the biggest target on its back, our central location made sure of that. However, a part of me ignored that possibility.
Maybe I thought I was special. I got reincarnated here, I must be the main character, right? Or so I thought, but alas, this is the real world. This isn't fantasyland and plot armor does not exist. I wish I could see her just once more, but my father assured me otherwise.
"Kid, trust me, you don't want to see, Earth-Style ninjutsu don't typically leave much to be recovered, especially the crushing kind. Hold on to the image of her you have in your mind, because no matter how many portraits and pictures I see, I can only remember her unrecognizable form."
"I'm sorry father, I didn't mea…" The tears flowed as I struggled to finish my sentence.
He seemed to be trying to hold himself together as best as possible. "It's okay Ichiro, you wouldn't have known. We just have to keep her in mind now. Surviving with our memories of her is what will keep her alive, so that's just what we'll do. I will survive for her and so will you, I'll make sure of it."
"I love you, Father."
That broke him, as he held me in a tight embrace and responded, "And I love you, my little shinobi. We'll be okay."
I went through my stages of grief with strong pillars by my side: my aunt and uncle, my father, Iruka, and Shisui. They all made sure I was never truly alone even as I tried to pour it all into my training. The results were bittersweet, I was able to master the [Surface Adhesion Technique] that same week but felt no sense of accomplishment. In time, I was able to make a full recovery, but I will never ever forget her.
[July 6, 3 bNb]
I stood face to face with my opponent, making the seal of confrontation. He's the only person I haven't had the chance to fight yet, and the one I've wanted to fight the most.
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this Tajima; you still have time to forfeit."
His face splits into a wide grin as a fit of laughter escapes his mouth, "Forfeit? I wear the pride of the Uchiha on my back each day. My family built this village, who do you think you are telling me to forfeit?"
"We'll see," I say, as I see Instructor Matsu's hand drop and hear, "BEGIN!"
You see, for the past three months, I have been training daily with both Iruka and Shisui alongside regular training from my father. The death of his wife seemed to have lit a fire under him as he started training again, as much as I do. Therefore, my improvement within these 3 months has been greater than the improvement I saw after training for an entire year before the academy.
Because of this, I am able to completely blitz Tajima with my speed, sending a kick towards his temple with the intent of ending this as quickly as possible. He barely manages to get both arms up for a block as my kick rattles the bones of his forearms.
He quickly jumps back with a scoff, "It'll take more than that to put me down, cloud scum" Though, I can clearly see that he's shaken by the kick, the eyes don't lie.
"Cloud scum? That's new. Doesn't matter though, I'm proud of my ancestry so you'd be better off not insulting my mother's side of the family."
"Or wha.."
Poor Tajima never gets to finish that sentence as he gets hit with a kick to the liver, his body instinctively bending over to that side. I don't stop there though, as a strong hook brings his upper body back to an upright position. This happens just in time for an uppercut to lift him off his feet and send him crashing on his back, unconscious.
"Winner, Ichiro Shishigami!" announces Instructor Matsu before he treks toward the fallen Uchiha. The entire class is silent before a clap is heard which causes a ripple effect of cheering.
"Alright, that's enough taijutsu for today, let's head inside. Ichiro now sits alongside Shisui at the top of the class rankings." The class obliges and we all head towards the building.
On our way inside, Shisui looks over to me and says "Where was that speed yesterday? Have you been holding back? That was as fast as me."
"I was saving it for our next spar in class, you really got me good the last time. Tajima deserved it though, especially after insulting my heritage like that."
He looks at me with his usual smile and says, "That's fair. Say, Ichiro, my father wants me to take the next graduation exam in nine months. He says I am already genin level and the academy will only hold me back. How would you like to do it with me? We could be on the same team."
I immediately shot Shisui a confused expression. 'Is this kid stupid?' I thought. Wait, now that I think about it, Shisui did graduate at 5 years old in the series. However, that's still insane.
"Shisui, you do realize that I will only be 6 years old, and you will be 5, right?"
"Yes, Ichiro."
"And you do understand that we are in the middle of a war, right?"
"What better way is there to protect the peace of the village than to serve in the war? You heard what Lord Third said, those who have the ability to protect our most vulnerable assets should do so. Such is the way of the Will of Fire."
The little Uchiha pauses, steeling himself and placing a determined expression on his face before continuing.
"If we don't do it, somebody else will and if I allow another to carry my burden while wasting time in an academy that has nothing else left to teach me, then I would not be able to live with myself."
Sometimes I forget that without the influence of Danzo, my friend might have changed the world someday. "You drive a hard bargain. I would need to learn the [Academy Three] to pass the test. You are lucky enough to have the backing of a clan but all I have is the backing of a civilian-born shinobi. You can do the [Academy Three] and the [Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu]. All I know are chakra control exercises."
Shisui seems to think about it for a bit. Contrary to the stories, jutsus are hard to come by, even for a chunin like my father. You either had to have someone to teach you or earn them by gaining merit on missions or on the battlefield.
A single B-Rank jutsu is worth more merits than a genin earns in a year. It's part of the reason my father has not yet achieved the jonin rank, it's hard to work your way up to that level of strength without access to a lot of jutsu or high-level training.
Clan Shinobi have it easy as they have access to decades or centuries' worth of techniques as well as a pool of older shinobi on whom they can rely. Sometimes, clans will sponsor young shinobi from the corps in return for some form of servitude.
But someone like me? I'll have to earn that. Shisui can talk about early graduation because he has the means and the backing to do so, but I'll have to soak in every bit of knowledge and technique I can get from the academy.
He leans in for a whisper and says, "It's okay Ichiro, I'll help you. We cannot tell anyone though, if word gets out to my clan that I have been giving you techniques, there will be serious consequences."
I wish I could say I expected this from Shisui, but I seriously didn't, this kind of support was almost unheard of outside of the Genin Acceleration Program or a clan contract. Once again, the little prodigy manages to surprise me.
I will not only rely on him though, as I know of at least one jutsu that can guarantee my success on the battlefield, and exactly how to train it. There's no way I'm gatekeeping this one, it will be my way of attempting to repay him for this gesture after all.
Additionally, since he already knows the requisite chakra control exercises as well as the [Academy Three], [Body Flicker Jutsu], and fire style, he can start training it immediately. I can't ever repay his favor, but I hope this comes close enough. I guess we'll have to go balloon shopping because Shisui Uchiha will learn the [Rasengan].
[July 9, 3 bNb]
It's been three days since Shisui and I came to our agreement. That means, three days since I have started learning the [Academy Three] and [Body Flicker Jutsu]. I have made quite a bit of progress in the [Transformation Jutsu] and [Clone Jutsu] due to them being illusionary. My chakra control and being able to sense how Shisui's chakra moves when performing them both help out to an absurd degree.
On the other hand, Shisui has made almost no progress in popping the first balloon. None of this progress (or lack thereof) is surprising though as three days is still three days. Despite my progress, however, the little Uchiha decides to drop another bomb on me.
"I got it, I got it!" he exclaims, as he runs through his back door and into the backyard where I stand with a mutated clone of mine just peering into my eyes. Dispelling the clone, I turn my attention to Shisui and ask, "What do you have?"
"This is chakra conductive paper, I had to wait until my dad left to steal a piece from his room. By channeling your chakra into the paper, you can discern the element you're most attuned to. Go ahead, give it a try Ichiro."
I almost rip the paper from his hand before channeling the chakra into the paper. It immediately becomes damp. No surprise there as my father's specialty is water-style ninjutsu. What is a surprise though, is the crinkling that happened a little after the water got damp. A strong water affinity with secondary lightning, that is almost as strong.
"That's so not fair, Ichiro. The dampness means you have a water affinity, and the crinkling means you have a lightning affinity. While shinobi can always learn jutsu from other elements with varying difficulty, actual dual affinities are almost unheard of."
"I know, Shisui, we study from the same books. This is a game-changer." I sound mesmerized because I most certainly am.
"Since I know 2 C-Rank fire-style jutsu currently, I'll try to get you a C-Rank for each element. No promises though because I'd rather not be caught. Either way, between elemental training and all the other training we have to do, you can kiss your freedom goodbye until graduation."
I didn't even know what to say, this was all too much. "Shisui, I swear that for as long as I live, no harm will ever befall you, my friend. I will never be able to repay you."
"It's okay, Ichiro, you already promised me an A-Rank technique with your weird balloon exercises. I don't understand its purpose, but I trust you. You will become the God of Shinobi and I will be right up there by your side."
I couldn't ask for a better friend. This world won't know what hit it. And Danzo, get ready because you just got bumped to the top of my hit list.
In a Root base somewhere deep within the forests surrounding the Hidden Leaf, Danzo Shimura experiences goosebumps.
