Chapter 2:

The Blade of Unraveling

I slowly sat up, still groggy from being qoken up earlier than usual. 'The asshole cut my hair. I'll clobber him for it later.' I sighed, pulling myself to my feet using the nightstand. I groaned, stretching my sore muscles and joints, "But first, morning practice."

Five minutes later I was dressed in my practice outfit, consisting of a simple mesh sleeveless shirt, black pants that reached halfway down my shins, and the bracelet that never left my right bicep.

My cousin Sasuki made it for me a few months back as a birthday gift. She was always a kind person, something I'd never be. It was made from black leather for the strap and a pair of crystals, one white, one red, in the shape of our clan's mark. However she made it I hadn't a clue. The only jeweler in the village of Konoha charged an arm and a leg for a simple beonze ring.

I was standing in the center of the courtyard in the center of our clan's compound with a pair of wooden katanas in my hands. Before me was a wooden and wheat dummy I had made by hand for my training. I took a deep breath and shut my eyes, feeling the energy in my body begin to flow faster and toward my hands and feet. I opened my eyes, immediately lunging straight at the dummy and slamming the katanas into it's wooden skull. My instincts took over my body and I began to strike at the dummy's weak points with deadly accuracy.

Before I had stopped, I'd already mutilated the poor dummy and my wooden katanas were literally smoking from the sheer amount of impacts I'd made in the short moments.

I leaned my swords against my weapon rack and looked back toward the only entrance to the courtyard. I immediately ran pver and slid directly into a bow.

The clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, was standing at the doorway, the usual scowl never lifting from his weathered face. His hands were angled behind his back, as if he was holding something.

"Forgive me sir, I was-" I began to apologize, only to be interrupted by a hand placed on my shoulder and standing me back straight.

Fugaku shit his eyes and shook his head, "No need. It is I who is intruding on your practice time. But after breakfast meet me at the lake by the eastern wall. For now, hurry and go eat." He stepped aside, allowing me to pass.

The moment I'd taken a few steps, he called out to me, "Kensei, my nephew, keep working hard."

I nodded my head without a word and sprinted for my family's side of the compound.

I sat on my knees alongside my elder brother Shisui, and across from our mother. Before us was a small table with some incense burning on the corner to my far right and covered with a few dishes.

Oddly, my favorite dish was served. And it was only served when something big was happening to me, such as when I'd beaten our father in a battle only using my swords against his Sharinghan. Even then, this was a evening dish, not a morning dish.

Either way, I dug into the meal, never letting the satisfaction and joy of the taste show on my face.

Shisui chuckled on my left side, between bites he said, "You're like Itachi, but with even less emotion. You are learning bad habits from him." He continued to eat his food, seemingly oblivious to my glare.

I reached over and jabbed him in the ribs with my middle finger, which I bend so I jab with the second knuckle. Then as he winced and coughed in laughter, I returned to eating my food. When I'd finally finished my food, I bowed my head toward our mother who returned the bow, and then I stood up and left the room.

Before I could escape, Shisui had caught up to me and forced me to a stop. His face was strangely bright for a Uchiha. I'd honestly believed he was a random person who just posed like an Uchiha when I was younger. He knelt down to reach my height, which wasn't exceedingly difficult to be honest, and placed his hand on my shoulders. He stared into my eyes and smiled, "Whether you're my blood or not, you'll always be my brother. And before I go on my mission, I have a gift for you."

I raised an eyebrow, 'He doesn't give gifts unless it's a holdiay or a birthday. Something strange is going on today.' I thought to myself.

Shisui reached into his pouch and pulled out a small coin. He grabbed my hand and slid it in, closing my fingers around it as he said, "Take this to the old man in the blacksmith later today. I had to place an order, the actual gift had taken some time to make." He smiled as he went to stand back up.

But before he vould stand, I put my arms around him in a hug, which was the first time I'd done so. Still not uttering a word, I released him and gave him a small nod.

Shisui couldn't hide the smile as he turned around and began walking toward the compound's gate.

Little that I had known that that would be my last time seeing him alive.

I stood before the clan head and watched as Sasuki did a few hand signs and caused a giant fireball to blow across the surface of the lake.

And while Fugaku was praising Sasuki for her adept use of the clan's signature fireball jutsu, I only thought about how disappointing my attempt will be.

Sasuki flashed me an encouraging smile as I took her place on the wooden pier and she took my place behind Fugaku. 'If only she knew how terrible I am at hand signs.'

Fugaku never broke his glare as I began to do the hand signs, his hand still behind his back.

When I'd finally reached the last sign, I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes, imagining a fireball similar to my cousin's. Then I blew all the air out of my lungs through a ring I'd made with my fingers, setting the very air aflame.

Instead of a orange flame, my flame was a dark red as they formed a giant fireball that was the exact same size of Sasuki's.

I lowered my hand, momentarily catching my breath as Fugaku turned and began walking back toward the compound. 'Crap. Did I do something wrong? ' I thought to myself as my ring finger on my right hand began to tremble, a nervous tick I've always had.

Then before he entered the compound and left us alone outside, he announced, "You two did well for today. Go rest for today." Then he disappeared from view.

Sasuki turned to me and shrugged, "I guess we did okay." Her black ahir was pulled back into a low ponytail and she was wearing a outfit similar to mine, but with a necklace to match my bracelet.

I scowled, knowing that she was most likely wrong. How she managed to have such a positive outlook on life amazed me. "Perhaps. I'll be heading yo the village now, want me to pick anything up?" I asked her, slowly walking toward the compound entrance.

She thought for a second then said, "I'd rather just tag along. Besides, I wanna know what Shisui got you!"

With the mention of my brother's name a shiver went down my spine and rattled my bones, which only ever happens when something bad is going to happen. But I decided I was probably just chilly, Shisui could handle anything and everything thrown at him. Right?

I shook the dark thoughts out of my head and stepped out of the Uchiha Clan compound for the first time in a while. I pulled the coin out of my pocket and read an inscription just above a symbol of an anvil. I spoke as I read, "The Fiery Leaves." Then I looked at Sasuki, "Know the place?"

Her eyes lit up at the mention of the blacksmith. "I thought he had ordered you a kunai or something! But if it's from there then it must be a serious weapon. Let's hurry!" She started running into the main strets of the village, which I followed.

Damn girl is fast, before I knew it, she was over a league away from me. But I caught up when she began slowing down from exhaustion.

I chuckled as I slowed down beside her, "You tired?"

She shook her head, trying to catch her breath, "N-never. Perfectly...fine."

I smirked. "Good. Because if it's a weapon then we are gonna duel at the training grounds before we head back."

Her energy seemed to regenerate in a millisecond at the mention of a fight. "I can't wait to wipe the floor with your face, Kensei!"

I put my left arm behind my back while we walked, which is a habit I've had for as long as I can remember. But I also do it to hide the bracelet's symbol from the general public.

Villagers treat us much differently than other clans. We're seen as just as demonic as the Tailed Beasts. And rightly so, our clan's dojutsu, the Sharinghan, is a cursed weapon. To make it stronger it requires blood of people close to you. Which is something I will never stoop that low for. I'm content with a single tomoe if I ever experience anything as traumatic as needed to activate it.

Here's hoping I don't.

Me and Sasuki stood before the rather small building that was decorated put front with assorted ninja tools such as kunai, katanas, and even scythes. The smell of coal burning accompanied with the sounds of metal clanging were music to my ears as I stepped up to an older man who was in his own world while forging what looked like the blade of a katana.

Sasuki coughed as a plume of dark smoke spiraled out of the forge, directly into her face. And yet, the old man kept pounding on the blade.

I was honestly astonished, and a bit inspired, by the man's unwillingness to cease his work. "Dedication, amazing how much a person can do if they simply dedicate themselves. Lift a elm, destroy a attacker, or even force themselves through Hell."

Sasuki turned to me with a glare, "You're talking like you're an old man. Aren't you a year younger than me?"

I sharply kicked her in the shin. "Shut it Sasu-pi." Then I stepped up to the counter, where a younger, much more weary and idle, man slept with his chin in his hand. When I got right up against the counter, I cleared my throat loudly, waking the man.

"You lost, scrat? This isn't a toy shop." the man chuckled and put his hin back in his hand, closing his large eyes.

I fished the coin out of my pocket and slammed it down on the table to get his attention, "Sleeping on the job is against the law, y'know. Not that I care to report you. But I'd enjoy your attention for a sweet second. Or need I use a different method of..." I removed my arm from behind my back, revealing the Uchiha symbol on the bracelet. "-negotiation." I flipped the coin in my fingers and laid it flat on the counter as the man's skin turned a sickening shade of gray, "I believe this is for a special order, am I mistaken?"

Sasuki stepped back a step and stayed silent as we spoke.

"Y-yeah. The Anbu guy, right? You his son?" the man hastily snatched up the coin and began inspecting it.

"Brother. But close." I nodded, glacing at the impressive weapons hanging on a rack behind the counter and on the far wall, "Anyway, he didn't come off as too friendly, right? He's always a little too happy."

The merchant shook his head, a slight smile showing on his dried lips. "Not at all, he wasn't a hassle. thought he tried to talk to the Smith. Which was as unfruitful as usual." He set down the coin with a sigh, "Well kid, you've got a chance to talk to the man himself. Your brother gave Smith some materials and he made a weapon, but he hasn't let a soul see, wield, or feel the thing. Give him the voin and he'll probably notice you."

He tossed the coin back to me, which I snatched out of the air and held tightly.

"Thanks for your time. Sasuki," I turned my head to the slightly dumbfounded girl behind me, "You had been saying something about needing more kunai. Go ahead and take care of that. I'll pay when we leave." I turned back to the merchant, "That should be a good arrangement, right?" which warranted a hastily-issued nod. Then I smiled, which is rare, "That's great. Lemme know the price in a few minutes."

" I'll be over here." I nodded to Sasuki, who had already grabbed an armful of kunai, shuriken, and some sort of small sword. Maybe a tanto. But I just accepted the fact that my pockets would be empty by the next hour, and walked toward the Smith, who was still pounding away.

I stood before the man, who never seemed to raise his gaze from the sword that had began to take a rather elegant shape. "Sir, I believe you're holding on to a weapon that was ordered about a week ago. You may want-" I was ablut to pull the coin out of my pocket, but the man grabbed my arm with a grip that certified that he swung a hammer as a living. He guided me toward a small shed behind the merchant's building, then unlocked the door with a single-handed jutsu.

The fact that he knew one-handed jutsu wasn't the astonishing part, it was the fact that the simple shed was sealed in this manner to require a technique that most elite ninja don't even know about to unlock. 'It must store some valuable stuff if it's that tightly secured.' I thought to myself as we entered the dark, and mildly damp, stone and ceramic shed.

The old man released his iron grip on my arm, but gave a slight push as he shut the door behind us, completely shutting all the light out of the world.

His voice startled me, it sounded a lot more friendly than his appearance suggested. "Could you light a fire? That unlocking jutsu sapped most of my chakra already."

I nodded in affirmation, even though he probably had no clue I did, and did a small jutsu I'd learned. I turned the large and violent fireball into a small and tameable flame that could light up a small area. I used chakra fibers, like a puppeteer would use, to guide it and harness it's newfound maneuverability.

The small flame sphere illuminated the rather spacious shed like the moon on a clear night. It reflected on the hundreds of weapons surrounding me, some hanging from walls, others had their own pedestals. But every single weapon was inside its sheathe, as if they weren't to be revealed by the Smith, only by the wielder.

The old Smith began explaining the weapons, "This is my life's work, you see. I create weapons that never see the light of day. I've blessed three warriors with one of these weapons in all my years of my devotion to my craft. And all three of the weapons were lost to time with their masters. They are forged from steel made from ancient bones, which gives them properties that even I cannot foresee. I one time made a weapon that could merely chop food for preparation. But the next week I made one that was so bloodthirsty it had its own aura of hunger and evil. Even being near the cursed blade without proper protection could render you mad with the thirst for death."

I shivered, imagining a scene where a poor unsuspecting citizen was mauled by a man driven insane by a cursed blade. "If they pose that much a threat, wouldn't you want to seal them far away from civilization?"

The old Smith stared at me for a second, then a grin grew from ear to ear on his wribkled face. "Most lads your age would ask me to destroy it. But you're the first person who's known how it would be to destroy something you created with your bare hands from a lump of stone and metal. I appreciate the sentiment." He reached for a wooden box that seemed to stand out amoung the weapons on the large table in the center of the room. His smile had been replaced with a frown that seemed to show years of something behind it, and I wouldn't call it good. "But sentiments aren't what you're here for, correct? No, you Uchiha are always working toward a goal. Determination is your strong suit. I can look at your physique and your posture and tell that you've swung a sword many times. Your eyes, though still just as critical, don't hold the same anger and hatred as most of your clan's. Even your friend out there has a hint of those in her eyes. But that aside, your brother had ordered this to be made specially for you. He gave me your strongest traits, as well as your temperament and attitude. And those allowed me to forge this beauty as a true weapon a proud swordsman would wield."

He opened the box, never looking at the weapon inside by hiding his eyes behind the lid.

Inside the ivory box was a dark purple silken padding that caressed the weapon. Its sheathe was as black as night and decorated with a single symbol. It looked like something I'd read about in our clan's library, a Mangekyo Sharinghan. But instead of three spikes, it had only two. Maybe it was a different kind of Mangekyo. It's hilt was decorated similarly, completely blacked out with a dark brown leather coiled and braided around the handle that would provide a great grip. The guard was a made of a dark red material that seemed to glow and move, as if it was fire solidified and molded into a shape.

I reached out and took the katana in hand, where it seemed to fit perfectly. The moment my hand touched the hilt, I felt a feeling of determination and confidence begin to take over my body. I quickly let go of the hilt, but held onto the sheathe as to not drop such a beautiful weapon.

"Do all your weapons give off an aura?"

The Smith shut the box, still never looking at the weapon, but flashing me a joyful smile. "Yes, they do. I have to forge the weapons with my eyes shut, but the attributes, personality, and even the aura of whoever orders a weapon guide my hands. It's a skill I've perfected, but never can benefit from myself. As if I lay eyes on the weapon, the entire aura of the weapon may cease to be."

I was slightly skeptical about what the Smith claimed, but a nagging feeling told me the man was just as in the dark about his abilities as anyone else. I decided it was best to accept it rather than fight it, so I strapped the sword to my right hip, securing it to my belt. I bowed to the Smith, "I will carry your weapon with pride and honor."

The man put his hand on my shoulder, opening the shed door with his other. "It is your weapon my boy. After all, it was made specifically for you."

I nodded my head as the Smith walked away, leaving me standing like a dumbass behind the weapon stall.

Once I got my head together, I walked back to the front of the store to meet back up with Sasuki and pay the enormous bill she'd made. But as I approached the girl holding a literal mountain of kunai and random weapons, I noticed the smell of coal and hot metal was gone, as if it had never been there.

The store clerk told me the bill was going to amount to four-hundred ryo. Which warranted a glare at Sasuki for draining my money sack dry. I paid the man and he said something that caught me off guard. "Ah, you chose a pretty beautiful one. Shame I couldn't meet the guy who made all those things."

I froze as my hand unconsciously drifted to the sheathe of the katana. "The Smith was just here. He gave me the sword a second ago." I began rapidly going through possibilities. Maybe I'd been hallucinating, but I'd seen the clerk talking about him as if he existed. So why is he acting as if the man had simply never existed?

Sasuki wasn't much help, as she was cursing and sputtering as she dropped a metal sphere on her toe.

"Right, thanks, I guess." I decided that I'd investigate later if time lets me. I zipped up my money sack and returned it to my belt. Then I began walking toward the village training grounds with Sasuki as the sun began to reach about halfway from mid-day to dusk.

But not before catching the smell of the burning coal, the sound of metal banging, and a small chuckled echoed in my ears.