A cool autumn day was beginning in Konoha. Citizens milled by shops and vendors buying wares for breakfast unaware of events outside the comfortable frame of civilian life. The clan head heard a knock at the door and a voice from outside calling " Fugaku-sama it's time." He nodded his head to himself, and stepped outside of the door and walked with his fellow officers to the main hall of the police headquarters. There stood 12 police shinobi standing at attention to their police force and clan leader.
Fugaku began to speak in the laconic speech of his clan, "We have trained for this mission, we know the layout of the target. We move swiftly and hard. Take prisoners when possible. Do your Jobs."
The 12 others nodded, all of them quickly disappeared. 6 shinobi moved across the rooftops faster than civilians could see, mere blurs across the background of the busy village. Fugaku and the other six moved quickly through the village on the ground level, their outward appearance disguised by transformation techniques. They moved silently and swiftly, unnoticed by civilians. As they drew closer to their destination in the pleasure quarters of the village, Fugaku found himself with a strange feeling about the mission, a bit of unusual unease. As the leader ran he felt a bit off; he quickly dismissed the feeling attributing it to queasiness about the experimental nature of this particular mission.
Like many other aspects of the village, in recent years his profession too had begun to change. Long gone were the days where shinobi police walked the streets in broad daylight arresting wayward citizens committing crimes. As the years passed, the Uchiha police forces improved their policing, and so the criminals found new ways to hide. They often hid in plain sight, business fronts for organizations that took advantage of the recent chaos in governance following the Nine Tailed Beast's attack.
Buildings, homes, and livelihoods were destroyed. The people needed money, and the government was spread thin. Debts from recent wars combined with reconstruction efforts nearly bled the treasury dry. Individuals, syndicates, and merchant houses who had capital at hand were eager to offer it, for a price. People unable to pay the borrowed silver with interest often met a bad end. Their corpses were left out in the street as an example to others. People who took out loans to secure their livelihoods often paid however they could as a result.
The organizations providing such services grew, expanded their operations, and became more dangerous. Today's operation was a starting point to take back momentum. Police shinobi once garbed in gear little different from ordinary chunin, now pushed forward in navy blue uniforms under hard leather vests interwoven with metal plates for armor. Heavier than their usual gear, but potentially life saving. Their shins and arms were covered in lacquered black metal guards to deflect sword and ax blows. Even their weapons had changed, and today they had new versions of the traditional throwing knife. He was wary of its inclusion given its source, but he looked forward to seeing its use in combat.
His musings however, quickly ended, "back to the job" he quickly thought. They arrived at the ground level of the targeted building. The business front of the structure was supposedly a brothel and "tea house" for visitors to the pleasure quarters. They suspected however something much different was happening on the inside. The shinobi quickly stacked up together on each side door of the main building. The shinobi undid their transformation jutsu, revealing their imposing forms. All of a sudden the street behind them began to clear. Fugaku unable to help himself muttered "Fucking Senju laws."
He kicked the door with a chakra enhanced kick, immediately knocking it down. The leader yelled, raising up a small metal fan emblazoned with the clan's crest.
" Uchiha Police! We have a warrant under the order of the Hokage! Put your hands above your head, and do not resist!" He took a step back and the shinobi behind him streamed in; quickly assaulting anyone who tried to resist. For a split second pandemonium reigned, large men attempted to resist the officers but were taken down and subdued. Working women screamed in terror and attempted to scatter, not wishing to be involved in whatever was happening.
At that moment a large bang could be heard from exploding tags from the top floor of the building, the six shinobi on top were beginning to clear the upper floors of the structure. "Perfect timing" he thought; his men had never let him down. He put away his fan, the symbol of police captain authority in his sash behind his back. He motioned to his men, putting up 4 fingers, four shinobi following him, two would stay behind to make arrests. They knew what to do if anyone made a stupid move, they would make a harsh example of them.
The clan head pushed towards the stairs of the building carefully watching for traps or hiding suspects until they reached the third floor of the complex. The shinobi police noticed a large man had spotted them; he ran for his life and freedom. The man darted into a room and locked the door, barricading it with whatever he could find. He knew he would likely be caught at this rate but he wouldn't go easily.
Outside of the door the police stacked up, two officers for each side of the door. Fugaku silently made hand signals to the officers. He briskly made a fist to his head, and made a slapping gesture towards the door. The officers nodded, they rushed to equip metal masks, their eyes glowing the bright red of the sharingan through the masks' slits. Then the first Uchiha on the right side of the door using both hands took out a large rectangular piece of paper from the large pouch hanging on his back side and then a kunai with a hanging circular paper note.
Seconds felt like an eternity, the Uchiha clan leader felt a familiar feeling, the rush. He never failed to feel exhilaration on a raid. Although he only had one reservation, those damned tags that were about to be used. The Hokage had insisted that they be used in this investigation. They were supposedly new, and he had seen them tested over the past month, but tests and combat were two different situations entirely. The tags were medium sized and rectangular, much bigger than explosive notes typically attached to kunai. The writing on the tags was an elaborate script of old looking characters.
When he was given a number of different tags wrapped in high quality white paper, he noticed the clan symbol of the red whirlpool. It was the last thing he wanted to use, anything from that cursed brat, but the Hokage wouldn't grant permission of arrest and seizure on a large raid without their use. He respected the Hokage to a point, but this was interference in his clan's work, duties which were protected by the agreement of the Old Clan Laws.
He would speak with him very soon about this. Fukgaku nodded, it was time. The foremost shinobi on the right forcefully slapped the note on the door, chakra pulsing through his hand. After only a second, the note exploded, blowing the door into deadly wooden shards blasting inwards into the room with a percussive bang. With his other hand the shinobi threw in the kunai, the octangular paper note hanging from the finger hole quickly transformed into a burst of blinding light. The shinobi taking point in front of the clan leader quickly ran into the room to procure the assailant, Fugaku was behind him.
The Sharingan had many advantages, allowing the user to see and react to events as though reality moved in slow motion. Fugaku watched as the Shinobi in front of him took a poorly aimed crossbow shot to the stomach, and the comrade keeled over. His hands formed the tiger mudra symbol without even thinking, chakra streamed into his lungs and he roared fire into the room. He then took out the metal fan from the back portion of his sash chakra streaming into his hand, and the fire bolstered, burning the criminal alive. The man screamed in agony as he burned, until his lungs ran out of oxygen and he fell silent as a blackened smoldering corpse.
Two men behind him secured the room searching for anyone hiding, and one attended to the wounded shinobi. Fugaku turned from the ashen corpse and saw the condition of his man. Thankfully he was alive, likely saved by the plates inside his vest. The man attending to him merely looked up at the leader, put a thumbs up and pointed towards the door, Fugaku nodded. He moved at a run from the room, two men following him. Every single room on the floor was cleared in a methodical fashion.
Stacking up on the entrance, the exploding tag slapped onto the door, and a flash sealed kunai was thrown in. The preferred method of combat on this raid was shock and speed. Those who resisted were killed, those who surrendered were expertly bound with rope and then hit with a chakra enhanced chop to the back of the neck to ensure unconsciousness.
Eventually, the shinobi fought their way up the building until they reached the fourth floor, across the hall they spotted the others tasked with clearing the top floors and moving down the complex. The leader of the upper squad gave a quick salute to the officers and the two squads fell into line instantly like puzzle pieces. They came before the last room and heard many voices, once again the men stacked up on the door, this time they placed two large tags on the door one on top the other on bottom for a more explosive entry. The tags exploded, two ninja threw in a kunai which radiated a short-lived blinding light. They moved in and chaos reigned. One man near the door blindly swung an ax nearly hitting a shinobi. Another criminal held a young woman by the neck with a short blade at her throat yelling wildly. One officer was busy wrestling down a criminal with his knee on the assailant's neck.
Fugaku's commanding voice boomed out, "Put the knife down, and you will live to see tomorrow! Surrender in the name of the Law!" He took out his fan pointing it at the man. The man replied with his stinging eyes closed " Fuck you Uchiha, I'd die on my feet before kneeling like a dog." The man knew he would either die here or likely beheaded later, he had nothing to lose. A dangerous man. He was dressed in a silk kimono, an expense which marked him out as the head of this criminal enterprise.
The leader of the second squad behind Fugaku, made a split second judgment, his sharingan blazing. The young man didn't have time for this nonsense, he had better things to do today. He withdrew a long thin kunai from a pouch on his right leg, in his mind took aim and threw it at the perpetrator. The throwing knife rushed through the air past Fugaku's head and thudded directly into the man's forehead, partially exiting through his skull. Portions of brain matter and blood splattered out the wound's exit.
He fell down wordlessly like a puppet with its strings cut, and the woman who he had held screamed in horror. Fugaku turned in anger and yelled out to the subordinate. "I wanted that bastard alive! What the hell was that!?" The subordinate did not respond, and the clan leader cursed in frustration and oversaw the rest of the room being cleared.
After their leader, and therefore source of coin, was killed, resistance ceased. Suspected criminals were tied up tightly, and any woman found had their hands bound behind their backs and were led to the main hall downstairs. Eventually all squad members were accounted for and were gathered downstairs with the arrested individuals. The building had been secured, and with that a treasure trove of information regarding this criminal enterprise was going to be recovered in both physical and oral evidence.
Fugaku called on the leader of the Upper Floor team to come meet him outside, the leader followed. Without a word Fugaku quickly shaped chakra using multiple seals, and controlling the flow of it through his lungs shot a thin stream of fire into the air. A signal summoning more Uchiha shinobi to come to aid in the completed operation.
Fugaku turned to the team leader, who stood at attention to the clan leader. Fugaku frowned, "Take off the mask boy." he said sternly. The subordinate did so, revealing the clan leader's eldest son. "What the hell was that, Itachi? I brought you along for extra manpower, not to make rash decisions. I wanted that man alive for interrogation, now I will have to piece shit together from testimony." he asked with some anger.
Itachi looked nonchalant as ever. The young man replied "I apologize father, today I had plans". Fugaku for a split moment looked confused, his eldest when not training or on missions was not one to go on social gatherings or occassions. Then realization flashed in his eyes. Early this morning, his youngest had been particularly excited. The little boy had been talking his wife's ears off about going training today, he recounted. Fugaku put his hand to his head and sighed. He looked at his oldest once again and frowned. "You're dismissed. Don't do that shit again." Itachi nodded and bowed, then he disappeared in a swirl of leaves and smoke.
Sasuke and his mother, Mikoto, were sitting before the family altar in the home of the clan leader. Sasuke looked up at the wall listening to his mother's explanation of the clan's history. "We Uchiha were one of the founding clans of this village after the dark ages of the warring clans. For centuries the clans struggled for control over the land, but it was ours and the Senju who created the strongest nation. Look at them Sasuke, these are your honored ancestors." Sasuke continued looking up at the dozens of masks that lined the wall. Some of the visages were peaceful, others of dignity, or wrath.
His mother continued, "These are the faces of your ancestors in their final moments. These men and women are the pride of the Uchiha, only those who are deserving will have their visage preserved for later generations. It looks as though your brother and father will be honored when their time comes. Will you Sasuke?" She asked while taking out incense to burn. She handed it to the boy. Sasuke looked up once again at the masks, a feeling of awe and ambition creeping into the pit of his belly.
He held up the incense in front of himself using both hands and bowed deeply. He then placed the slow burning incense in a deeply lacquered bowl. The smoky scent filled the room. Both Sasuke and his mother slid slightly backwards on their knees, bowed deeply, and clapped twice. As the two began praying, the shoji opened and Itachi silently entered the space. Sasuke keen ears noticed him enter, and turned around from seiza excited to go with his brother. "Sasuke!" his mother said, chastising him, but her face showed warmth. Sauske sat back down on the cushion and bowed to the altar. His mother merely shook her head smiling to herself and said "Now go and have fun." Sasuke quickly bowed to his mother, and ran to Itachi, his older brother gave their mother a nod of thanks and the two left.
The brothers started their way to the entrance of the clan leader's home passing through the long halls of deep brown wood. Sasuke, although silent, was nearly vibrating with excitement trailing behind his older brother. Itachi took in a deep breath as they walked, taking in the cool air of the late morning and admiring the tall trees that lined the open walkway. Each tree had a sacred rope around it, each one planted by the head of the clan. His father was the last, and he could feel the uncomfortable pressure upon himself to one day plant one too. Eventually, the two made their way to the entrance and departed into the Uchiha's district.
The two walking through the district did not go unnoticed. Raven haired family members often greeted them. Even those who were busy with some task, quickly bowed their heads in respect as they passed. Itachi was held by many as a prime example of their clan's excellence in arms. He was steadily creating a reputation for himself.
Among the many people finishing their early morning routines, Itachi noticed a good friend among them. As expected of him, the young man quickly noticed him and gave a wide smile. He approached, walked alongside him and whispered conspiratorially "The raid this morning, heard it was a good show."
Itachi very nearly sighed "Classified. Crew speaks too much." Shusui laughed, "Don't be stingy. It was in daylight the whole village knows."
Itachi nodded thoughtfully. Today the Uchiha district was unusually bereft of non clan members. Occasionally, people who weren't from the clan would be granted permission to conduct business non-uchiha wouldn't usually do. Bakers, cobblers, and food sellers, people of those professions. The young man looked around, although the market still bustled with activity, his people were alone. Only Uchiha. After the raid he feared they would become more isolated.
Shusui tapped his shoulder. "Don't dwell on it too much. You guys only did your job." Shusui, as always, seemed to know what he was thinking. His friend looked down at Sasuke, "Going training today again?" he asked warmly. Sasuke nodded happily trying to keep his face neutral like his brother. "Yes, today he's going to teach kunai throwing and taijutsu." The excitement leaked into his voice.
Shusui looked up to his friend. His expression was completely flat as it was trained to be, but even still he could see warmth in his eyes. Shusui smiled, happy his friend hadn't been worn down by their grisly profession. He put a hand on Sasuke's head and said " Then I wont keep you." He threw another glance at Itachi, his eyes darting upwards to the left. Itachi subtly nodded, they'd meet later. He gave a backwards wave to his friend while walking away to finish his morning business.
Sasuke spoke up watching him leave. "Cousin Shuisui is a strange one." the boy said. Itachi chuckled lowly "Yes, he is. Keep it moving." he said with some happiness* in his voice. The two continued to walk through the Uchiha compound passing from its lively interior to the quiet outer areas. They eventually reached one of the gates leading to the village proper. The weather had begun to cool, the leaves were changing from emerald green to a cascade of autumn colors. The cool breezes were much more suitable for training than the hot summers. He turned to his trailing brother. "Now we run." he said calmly, and with little warning he moved in a blur. Sasuke followed at a running start.
Honestly this was one of Itachi's favorite parts of training his little brother. The police forces hated when people moved across the roofs and eaves of the compound, but the other parts of the village were mostly fair game. Itachi moved at high speed, the wind flowing through his hair and stinging his eyes. He turned his head to check if his brother was keeping up, and to his surprise he was quickly gaining on him. Itachi smirked to himself, and decided to up the ante. He took out some wooden kunai, made of hard cypress, enough to hurt but not injure. He channeled a bit of chakra into his feet, jumped and turned in the air mid turn. Itachi threw the kunai aiming at the head and body, his sharingan flaring.
Sasuke smoothly dodged the flying objects , and willed himself forward. The small moment his brother had stopped to throw had earned him an opportunity. The raven haired boy got within melee range of his brother, and threw a distractionary punch and then a high kick to Itachi's head. Itachi blocked the punch and redirected his kick, flipping him off balance and pushing him back with a palmed strike to his chest. For Sasuke it was back to square one. Itachi kept moving in the direction of their destination, Sasuke attempted to keep pace and harassed his brother's progress the whole way. Constant moving in and out of melee range. A game of cat and mouse on the rooftops of the village. Below them on street level, non-shinobi didn't notice a thing. They would have been nothing but quick moving blurs outside of their frame of reference. Although they lived in the same village, they lived in a seemingly different world.
Eventually the multi story wooden buildings of the city proper began to grow more sparse, and large trees began to reign over their surroundings. In the distance, the older sibling saw today's training ground. He left the canopy of the trees and landed. Sasuke was not far behind and landed near him albeit less gracefully and out of breath. Itachi looked upon his brother proud of his progress, but still knowing he was unseasoned. He looked at the colored leaves and noted the time of year. Soon his little brother would enter the academy, and that he knew would be the first step in unlocking his potential. He didn't look forward to too much lately, but that he would be happy to see.
Sasuke for his part, was not surprised his older brother hadn't even broken a sweat after running across the better part of the village. He expected as much from him. The raven haired boy took his hands from his knees and gathered himself into an "at ease" position with his hands at his side. He bowed and said "I humbly accept your teachings".
The elder merely nodded. "Today we will focus upon the art of the intercepting fist. Our way is to take the power of the enemy and meet it with our own internal strength. Our way has no cannon, it has no set movements. We will use whatever works. You are still inexperienced now, but once you fight in combat if you see something useful … copy it. Be direct and fierce. The highest goal is to get out of combat alive." Sasuke nodded trying to take his brother's words into memory.
"Now we will begin with light sparring." Itachi said morosely. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Their spars were never "light", even though he knew Itachi was holding back. They gave each other the hand sign of combat, and rushed towards each other.
Itachi threw the first blow, he put out a quick set of jabs followed by a hook to the head of Sasuke. The younger one kept his calm. Sasuke dodged two of the jabs and held up his hands to block the heavy hook. Suddenly he ducked down and attempted to sweep his taller opponent hoping his size would make him a tad slower. It didn't work. Itachi jumped back some distance, and decided his brother's taijutsu skills were progressing nicely. He took out a kunai, this time of dulled steel and moved towards his partner with speed. Sasuke, slightly surprised at the escalation, decided fleeing and attempting a surprise attack would be the best option.
The younger Uchiha took off into the tree line, and ducked low. Listening for any movement towards him. The forest was silent as the grave. Then his ears picked up a whizzing sound , it was a kunai speeding towards him. He dodged it and hid behind another tree. Another kunai came whizzing through, but it was far off. Strange for him. Sasuke suspected he might have escaped, but as soon as the thought entered his mind another wide kunai flew nearby and was hit by another. The blade deflected off the oncoming blade and went careening towards him.
Sasuke frantically dodged thinking to himself "I have to remember that one." Itachi came bursting out of the treeline, throwing one kunai after another. Sasuke moved side to side narrowly avoiding them. Itachi had a small smile on his face, he was attempting to push him to his limits. Sasuke started to frantically weave hand signs , making a small mistake as he did so. Chakra filled his lungs and he spat out a small ball of fiery chakra. It was ineffective but momentarily distracted his foe.
Using the proto-jutsu as cover Sasuke began his own offensive , he sped forward pushing chakra into his legs as Itachi had taught him. The boy took out shuriken and threw them at Itachi, his brother was slightly disappointed they flew off course, but the curious smirk on Sasuke's face unnerved him. Curious, he moved forward to once again meet sasuke in hand to hand, but found his movement impeded. The shuriken had been a cover for thin metal wires. Sasuke for his part, smiled around the wires in his teeth, this time he recited the mudras in his head "Horse, Serpent, Ram, Tiger". Energy filled his lungs as fire spewed from his mouth, this time with a properly formed compact ball of flame. The wire caught fire and spewed towards Itachi. For moments after Sasuke only saw smoke, and wondered if he finally won one against his brother.
A wide smile was on the elder's face, he was distracted. Itachi took the opportunity to remind him even a momentary distraction was death on the battlefield. Suddenly he departed from his hiding space, he came at his brother from behind, and swept out his feet from below him. The younger, hit the floor beneath him stunned and surprised. Sasuke expected at least a blow, but Itachi merely bent down, extended his arms, and poked Sasuke on the forehead. A smile on his face. The little brother felt defeated until his teacher began to speak.
"Good. Today you surprised me. Surprise and speed is the ultimate combination of a shinobi. Our style relies upon it. One day when you first enter real battle, you will be green. Surprise against a more experienced foe will be vital. However you had one misstep. Remember, Sasuke, Zanshin. Even after you think you've defeated an opponent don't let down your guard. Expect the unexpected, focus on what you're doing and why you're doing it. Overall, You've done well today." At this Sasuke's expression lightened, he took his brother's hand and stood up.
"Thought I had you for a bit. " Sasuke said with some disappointment. It was hard for Sasuke to tell, as it always was with his older brother, but if he could guess Itachi looked a little uneasy. Worried even. Itachi replied almost evenly "You will one day."
Itachi, for the most part satisfied with today's session, noted the position of the sun. The young man motioned for sasuke to follow him, now would be a good time for lunch. He hoped to be wrong, but his missions tended to pick up during the winter seasons. Although the Land of Fire was notorious for its hot summers, winter can bring unpredictable cold weather. Conditions suited for more experienced shinobi. This could be the last time he would be able to sit and leisurely eat with his brother this year. Itachi motioned for Sasuke to follow, and they disappeared into the treeline. The elder Uchiha had a spot in mind, a small clearing not far from their current location. It was deeper into the forest, and unfrequented by most except for the occasional passing leaf shinobi. Perfect for today's weather. It didn't long for the two to reach it. Landing on a tree branch overlooking the clearing, Itachi was surprised to see a young boy sitting alone in the clearing.
Light filtered through the trees into the lonely clearing in the forest. Naruto had found this place while exploring a bit further away from the river after a quick wash from practicing alone. He usually trained with Ko and Hinata these days, but they're duties at times kept them busy. Today too, was one of those days, and he had been making his way to this place, more and more recently as if he was drawn to it.
Stones and small ruins dotted the landscape, some laid forgotten in the clearing, others crumbed structures strewn in disarray. They were obviously Old, many had been overgrown with plants or covered with moss. Yet the stones still held a silent beauty and craftsmanship conveying the obvious mastery of their forgotten makers.
Ever since, Naruto marveled at the fallen beauty of the stones, and he endeavoured to study them. Today he sat attempting to draw a bust of a man half buried in the dirt. The statue despite its age and poor condition had small intricate details that were stunning to behold. The man, whoever he was, had been wearing a robe on his upper body, its orange pigment still showing on its fringes. His eyes stared into the sky with an expression of quiet confidence, part of the top of the head had been lost to age, and the nose was gone. Naruto also saw strange characters which appeared to have been woven into a pin which would have held the man's robe together. They were small but Naruto had noticed them with close study, and he copied them. It was fascinating for the boy, and he had been gradually improving his skill with drawing and brush work.
Nearly finished, Naruto looked up from his labors, and took a look around. He doubted the Leaf had made these ruined stone works. This part of the forest was strewn with randomly assorted ruined stone, some of which seemed to have been deliberately destroyed. Whoever these people were no matter how great, they obviously fell.
Naruto mused upon this for a moment wondering if his land too would be the same in the far future. The blonde looked up, noting the sun. Now would be good as any time for lunch. He reckoned fishing in the river would be best for the day; going to the markets would be a pain for multiple reasons. However, when he stood up he heard a slight rustle in the leaves to his left. It sounded too heavy for an animal, he began to look around suddenly on guard, his hand reaching behind for a leather pouch on his sash. He fingered an explosive seal ready for trouble.
A calm voice came from the tree line "Easy. We mean you no harm." Naruto suddenly saw two individuals come down from a large branch. Naruto didn't change his stance. He didn't know these people, and meeting strangers in the forest wasn't his idea of a good time. However, Naruto quickly thought about it. A few months earlier he had met Hinata in the forest too. At this, he slowly withdrew his hand from his pouch, and chose not to expect the worst.
Naruto took another look at these two people, one obviously older than the other. "Maybe brothers?" he thought, a pang of envy hit his stomach. The older one was in the Shinobi forces, he held himself in a relaxed manner, yet he still looked strong. At his side was another boy, he was wearing a traditional navy blue robe with a wide collar, a red sash around his waist, and black trousers. Their raven hair, and the younger boy's dress marked them out as Uchiha.
The older of the two spoke to the Uzumaki, "We were planning on having lunch here. I didn't expect anyone to be in this part of the forest." Naruto looked slightly relieved, wanting to avoid any trouble for the day. Naruto replied "It's fine, I was just leaving." he said a bit curtly.
At this, Itachi was slightly disappointed. He knew exactly who this boy was, and was curious to meet one whom fate has chosen to carry a heavy burden. The elder Uchiha also saw the scars upon the boy's face, no wonder he was wary. Itachi verbally reached out to the Uzumaki, "Wait. We were planning on taking a break from training, and eating lunch. Since you're here, would you like to join us? Sasuke here is unseasoned, could use someone his age to test him."
Naruto was a bit suspicious, but the young man seemed genuine, and lacked the usual hostility he encountered on a daily basis. Naruto took a risk, he bowed his head slightly as a greeting and said
"Alright, I'll join you, what do you have in mind?" The blonde crossed his arms and looked curious.
The older Uchiha replied, "I'll introduce ourselves first. I'm Uchiha Itachi and this is my younger brother Uchiha, Sasuke. You will practice against him." He continued and his voice suddenly changed to that of a hard teacher. "Sasuke rarely trains with non-Uchiha, but that will change soon. I assume you will enter the academy too, correct?" At this Naruto nodded.
"Then this will benefit you. Today's training will be first a spar, then basic kunai training. For sparring the rules are simple. Both basic jutsu and taijutsu are allowed, however techniques should not be thrown to injure. Also any throwing weapons should be dulled. This is practice, not combat. Do you two understand?"
The two boys nodded, and stepped forward to greet each other. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Treat me kindly." The blonde said while giving a small bow, the Uchiha returned his greeting saying. "Likewise, I am Uchiha Sasuke. I'll be in your care." Itachi slightly smiled. "Ready yourselves." the young man said, his voice betraying some excitement.
Naruto was in civilian clothing, but had taken to wearing an extra robe for protection from the elements and to hide small weapons. He took out a small scroll, carefully unrolled it, and pulsed chakra into it. A small burst of smoke released from the object, revealing a number of kunai and a pair of leather bracers with the character for practice written upon them. At this Itachi looked over, interested that he was using seals at his age. This would be good practice for his little brother.
After their preparations were finished, the two stood across from each other. Their hands in the traditional hand sign of mutual combat. Itachi sat on an ornate old stone nearby, he called out "Rei!" The two bowed, and upon raising their heads it began.
Naruto pushed forward first, seeking to test out the Uchiha's defenses. He threw a combination of quick jabs to the head, followed by a kick to the sternum. However, Sasuke's eyes were naturally keen, and he fluidly dodged the Uzumaki's attack. Naruto continued to push Sasuke, but he threw a hook that was a bit too wide, throwing him off balance. He cursed internally. Sasuke immediately took advantage. The Uchiha boy remembered his brother's words earlier. He attacked Naruto's exposed ribs with a hard punch to his liver, followed by a left footed high kick that Naruto barely blocked.
Naruto absorbed most of the kicks power, but it drove him back out of in-fighting distance. He staggered backwards pretending to be hurt, and at that sight Sasuke moved in for the kill. The Uchiha threw several hard jabs followed by attempts at body punches. Everytime Naruto attempted to move forward he was met by a kick to push him back. The Uzumaki appeared to be losing, only defending himself with blocking, until Sasuke over-extended, throwing a straight kick that Naruto side-stepped.
Sasuke tried to hastily correct himself, but Naruto quickly tried to go low, sweeping Sasuke's legs. Sasuke was quick however, he jumped over the sweep, channeling chakra to his legs and jumping high. "He's good." Naruto thought, but he'd expected the evasion; while Sasuke was mid air Naruto quickly took a piece of parchment from the sleeve of his robe. Sasuke looked confused, until suddenly the piece of paper infused with chakra began to glow into a blinding light. Sasuke momentarily covered his eyes, coming down to earth blinded and off-kilter.
The blonde saw his chance, he rushed towards the disorientated Uchiha. Once he got close he threw a sidekick to Sasuke's body; taking away his opponent's breath. He followed up with a vicious body punch and once again Naruto quickly got low and swept Sasuke's legs. He hit the floor with a thud, reeling. Naruto was thankful for his training with the Hyuga. Ko-sensei always said first open them up with well placed blows then go for the finish. With this in mind, he was quickly on top of Sasuke ready to finish this spar victorious.
Itachi looked on the scene with a placid expression, but was enthused they had the fortune of meeting the Uzumaki today. Sasuke was rarely pushed so hard by other children of the clan. Earlier he had expressed that the clan's style of fighting was formless and adaptable, but of late the style had become formalized…stiff. Fighting an unpredictable opponent was just what his brother needed now.
On top of Sasuke, Naruto put his shin upon his midsection to stifle his movement. Naruto attempted to fully sit upon the upper body to gain complete advantage ,but Sasuke saw this coming. He exploded from his hips pushing the upward against Naruto making him lose his balance, the Uchiha then took hold of Naruto's robe, braced his foot against the boy's body and rolled. He used his momentum to end up on top, a complete reversal.
Now on top, he attempted to rain punches down on Naruto who for now could only cover his face. In his gusto though he neglected to fully secure Naruto's legs. Naruto used his legs to guard against being dominated completely, and pushed Sasuke backwards. Seeing an opportunity, Sasuke let him do so. While the Uzumaki was still on the floor, he streamed chakra into his hamstring muscles creating a jump of good distance. He strung together hand signs, and filled his lungs with chakra. Three balls of fire spewed from his mouth in quick succession. Not enough to kill, but it would definitely hurt on impact. Naruto rolled on the floor, dodging sideways. In the corner of his eye he saw Sasuke once again weaving hand signs, the fire technique wasn't powerful but the hand signs were short and sweet, perfect for repeat bursts.
"Damn, I have to do something quick." Naruto thought, and he decided to do something new he'd been working on. Naruto channeled chakra into both wrists taking aim at Sasuke, at that moment six kunai came flying out of the bracers. Sasuke, surprised, had his hand signs interrupted to dodge. Something his watching brother noted for later. Naruto's arms began to ache, he'd put too much hastily channeled chakra into the seals carved into the bracers. Unlike Hinata, his control of his chakra wasn't very good.
Naruto stood once again, he looked at Sasuke from across the clearing. Both of the boys were panting and covered in sweat despite the coolness of the afternoon. They got into a combat ready stance, both with a smile upon their faces. A sudden gust of wind blew leaves from the trees filling the ruin strewn area with fallen leaves. Sasuke noticed. He quickly began weaving hand signs this time longer than the previous technique. The young Uchiha chanted in his mind "Snake. Monkey. Boar. Ram. Horse. Tiger!" Chakra filled his lungs, this time he called out the technique just as his brother had taught him. Saying the jutsu aloud furthered the correct flow of chakra he'd been told.
"Katon: Endan no Jutsu! (Flame release: Fire bullet)" The stream of flame fired quickly from his mouth. As the flame hit the cool air the wind began to increase and flames were further fueled by the dried leaves. The clearing was momentarily filled with fire. Naruto attempted to dodge, he wanted to retaliate but the wind inhibited throwing kunai and seals. He had to think of something quickly he decided.
Sasuke's jutsu was powerful for the situation, but now he was running a bit low on chakra. He stood in the same spot panting. Tired, but still confident his opponent wasn't finished yet, he once again took a defensive stance. As the flames died down, so did the wind. However only Sasuke remained in the clearing. The Uchiha boy was no fool; he knew the Uzumaki was lying in wait somewhere. He used this moment to catch his breath for the final confrontation. Sasuke moved slowly in a defensive stance towards the middle of a clearing, his eyes scanning the trees for anything strange. Then he momentarily looked at his brother, his visage stoically calm with his eyes closed. The younger Uchiha's eyes widened and he remembered one of his brother's teachings. "Uchiha who live only by their eyes, die by them."
He kept his defensive stance, closed his eyes, and listened. The rustling of the leaves, the sound
out of place movement. He was ready. Naruto for his part had not been idle. He had something waiting for the Uchiha.
From the trees, he spotted his target confused that he had closed his eyes. Thinking 'Now is a good time as any." He pulsed chakra into an old fashioned kunai, hoping it would keep during the flight, and threw it at a set up paper seal on a tree. The tree exploded and he saw the Uchiha's attention diverted. To seize the moment Naruto sprung from the treeline chakra blazing into his legs for speed. Sasuke's gaze diverted towards him ready to defend. Naruto had surprise on his side however, he streamed forward attempting to use a quick pace to cover for his long sprint. His hands turned into the sign of the Rat, chakra pulsing through the air. Another seal activated and a kunai came streaming out of the forest at some speed, purposefully flew wide and the seal it carried exploded in front of the young Uchiha.
Sasuke's face reflected a brave calm, running towards the smoke of the fading explosion. He streamed his remaining reserves of energy he could safely use and jumped over the smoke. At the ground he met Naruto with a bit of an advantage. He used it. He came down at Naruto with a side kick, and like Naruto earlier he used a moment of imbalance to swipe the Uzumaki's feet. This time Naruto hit the ground hard, taking from him a gasp of much needed air. Sasuke exploited his fall and was on top of him. Took the lower half of his body on top of Naruto, and forcefully took a defending arm. Then he kept the arm close to his body and fell with it using his body weight. The Uzumaki was a slippery fighter so he used his hip to slowly push the arm's stressed elbow joint upward. Naruto was reluctant but he had no choice. Grunting in pain he tapped the Uchiha on the leg three times, and the spar was over.
Itachi looked on with some pride for his brother. They were both well matched, and he had won. This was perfect for him. The Uzumaki too showed some promise, and he assumed finding training partners would be difficult due to his circumstances. However, there was one important thing left missing.
Itachi looked at the pair laid out boys panting in exhaustion closely.
Sasuke was the first to get up moving into an informal drooping seiza, Naruto sat up too cross legged. He had a wide smile and laughed out "You got me! Next time I'll pay you back!" He put out a hand to Sasuke, only his index and middle finger were extended. Sasuke's drooping form looked up slowly. The raven haired boy may have won, but he was spent. He saw Naruto's hand, and looked surprised. His clan were not touchy people. He copied Naruto, and put his hand in the same way. Naruto took his fingers and wrapped them around Sasuke's. Naruto smiled, "It's a promise. Ya going to the Academy too right? Let's fight again!" His positive energy was infectious and Sasuke found himself smiling too. He nodded yes to Naruto. The boys slowly stood up. Both feeling quite tired.
Itachi, pleased, clapped his hands loudly, surprising the two boys. "Now, time for kunai throwing." The young man intended on having them train while good and tired. He always believed that's when your true skills and spirit were tested.
"Uzumaki-san ink and brush please." He asked, Naruto produced the writing utensils, and Itachi walked to a thick trunked tree and drew four circles. One small circle representing the head, a larger one for the body, and two thin oblong circles for the legs below.
Then he had an idea. "Could you spare a few of those exploding tags? What's the fuse time?" Itachi asked. Naruto took a scroll from his robe and threw it to the elder Uchiha. Naruto replied, tiredly, "Tags for training, 2 seconds." Itachi a small bit imparted chakra of chakra into the sealed scroll, but found it wouldn't open. He pulsed more chakra into the scroll and it opened, it took more effort than he expected. "Interesting," he thought.
He then instructed the two boys to stand some distance in front of the tree, he began to speak "The objective is to get as many kunai into the circles as possible. I will try to impede you. Focus and hit the targets. Body and legs are the best, but hit the head if you can." Suddenly his eyes turned scarlet, he allowed the boys to prepare themselves, and he began.
First he sought to tire them out even more, pushing them and not allowing them to concentrate on throwing with accuracy. He pushed forward first at Naruto with an exaggerated hook, and threw a blind kunai towards Sasuke who dodged. Both tried to but they missed the tree trunk. "Keep your focus!" Itachi yelled gutturally, his voice hard. In a moment Itachi was at some distance from the two, both Naruto and Sasuke looked at one another and nodded. One moved north, one south. If one moved east the other pushed west. They attempted to spread the experienced Shinobi thin, and it seemed to temporarily work. Sasuke scored a hit to the head and body, and Naruto hit two body shots one after the other. However, their trainer merely smiled. He took the explosives he stored in a pouch round his sash. Now after attempting to attack one boy, he threw an explosive at the other's feet. Each time the small explosive burst with a percussive bang, throwing off the already tired children. Now, they're methods changed. The two boys retreated from Itachi standing further into the clearing.
"We have to fight him together… he's strong as usual," Sasuke remarked slowly, panting for air.
Naruto agreed, "He is. We have to get close or he'll keep throwing tags." They looked at each other determination strong in their gaze. They ran to Itachi, blades drawn. The two attempted to crowd him, throwing punches, kicks, and attempting to slice with their weapons . Every time there was an opening they attempted to throw a blade at the target. Overtime, the kunai began to hit their mark. Minutes passed and they began to draw empty on throwing knives. When they attempted to retrieve the knives Itachi hampered them, giving them some resistance to the boys' attempt at another throw. Eventually they became exhausted; and Itachi, seeing the worsening of their accuracy, decided to draw the training to a close.
The veteran shinobi raised his voice "Hold. Today's training is over. Take some cooldown laps around the treeline, then lunch." Naruto and Sasuke nodded and did as they were bid. Both were out of breath, the muscles of their body were beginning to become sore. Itachi noted their pace as they ran, proud they had continued strong until the end.
The two were still young and hadn't even begun their profession, yet from their determination and early abilities Itachi could guess that if they lived the two had potential. Itachi frowned. "If they lived…" he thought gloomily. As they were finishing up he began to fish through a small pack he carried. Inside there was a delicious looking lunch wrapped in leaves to keep fresh. Sasuke's favorite, rice balls that appeared to be stuffed with meat and vegetables. The young man wished he could have these on missions at times.
The two tired trainees jogged to the sitting veteran, bowed and tiredly sat crossed legged. With a simple thanks for the food, they began to dig in. As they quietly ate, Naruto couldn't help but feel curious. The older brother was obviously experienced, and one could gain only so much from reading books and scrolls.
Naruto tentatively asked, "You're a shinobi aren't you? What is it really like?" Naruto had asked old man Hokage a similar question, but didn't get much in return. At Least by his own standards.
Duty, sacrifice, and honor the Hokage had told him. He didn't entirely buy it. Itachi momentarily paused, and stopped eating for a moment. Sasuke looked on, also interested to hear his brother's answer, he didn't talk much about his profession at home.
Itachi pondered how to answer, he took a look at the young blonde boy, his eyes intensely curious. He wouldn't believe a polite fiction, or tale of heroic sacrifice. Itachi took a breath and said "I won't lie to you, there are times I would much rather be doing anything else in the world than being a shinobi. The common folk believe we are all powerful, and have powers beyond normal humans, but we are nothing more than men."
As he talked his eyes appeared distant, as though his mind was elsewhere. Visions of his last mission, an Anbu squad member dying in combat gargling to death. Drowning on his own blood. Young, handsome, intelligent, gone in an instant. All that potential wasted on the battlefield.
He continued, "Sasuke, Uzumaki-san. When you become shinobi, you will see people you love die. Friends, teammates, family. There will be days when you curse the world that produced such mayhem. However, the comrades, friendship, and village we fight for makes it all worth the struggle. Being a ninja is a burden, but one we must make so that others can live in peace. Train hard so you can protect those you love."
With that said, he continued eating; nothing more to say. Naruto and Sasuke ate in silence thinking. Itachi looked at the two, pondering their fates. Both were born into a life which demanded they enter into war. Their heritage demanded it. How would they react when they stood over their first body? Or would they be the one who fell? Internally, he cursed the world that forced young men and women to fight and die over politics.
In the forest, the ruins lay unblemished by the earlier flames. The confident eyes of the statue looked skywards to the heavens, and the moss covered stones stretched into the distance far away.