Chapter 14
KUSHINA UZUMAKI
It had been a few weeks since Izuna-kun had left for his posting, and there was yet to be any report from the border, though there were rumors about several skirmishes breaking out, but that was quite the norm.
Things in the village itself were tense as the village prepared to face the pincer attack from Iwa and Kumo, and sadly for her, nearly everyone she held dear was to be involved in the defence of the village against the two major offensives.
Konoha itself was preparing a force in secret, at least according to rumors. Yet none knew what the intended purpose of this force was. Whether it was being gathered for an attack or defence was still up in the air, in either desperation or deliberation.
But that all would come later, for today was a rather festive day, for team seven had just passed the chunin exams—at least all members of the said team that were not Kakashi, who had just become Konoha's youngest jounin.
"They have all improved quite a bit," she added as she repaired Minato's jounin uniform, as the said man sat down on the floor below, reading a book.
"That they have," he answered.
"Kakashi-kun is way ahead of anyone his age and has become the youngest jounin. And thankfully, his attitude problem has gotten somewhat better," and that was a surprise. However, she knew one of the reasons.
"Indeed, I think seeing Izuna-kun make par or even exceed his accomplishments has made him more conscious of his fallacies, and though he is still far from the ideal student, he has improved," for that was always his major problem. Hatake Kashi did not lack for power, or skill, it was only ever the concern with his attitude that made him troublesome.
"Rin has improved as well. She is making fine progress in Iryo-ninjutsu," and that was not a surprise. She was a lovely girl who had gotten both the push and guidance needed and was now excelling in one of the hardest fields of shinobi life.
"The problem is with Obito," and at that, Minato's voice grew dull as he looked up at her, knowing that he was perhaps her favorite of the three just because of his attitude and brashness, for that, in a way, reminded her of herself.
"He has been troubled for the last few weeks," Minato added and she had noticed the same thing. And in some way could even understand it.
"I think he feels as if he is being left behind," and that was not a surprise given the people he was surrounded by. Kakashi was a genius unlike any other, and Rin, while not a prodigy, had a decent mind on her head.
Obito was smart, but he dreamt big, and with those dreams came a pressure, one made even more burdensome by looking at the geniuses around him. He was talented, and smart but lacked the focus and dedication of Izuna and Kakashi.
"He will be fine," she assured Minato as she smiled.
"After all, he is my favorite student for a reason," and Minato chucked at that.
"I thought that was Izuna-kun," he asked and she shook her head, though she could see why he would think as such.
"Izuna-kun is family," she corrected him, and though she would ask him to call her sensei, and had taught him sealing and a few other things, it was hard for her to call him a student. Both because she had watched him grow up ever since he was a babe and, more importantly, because he had never really needed much teaching.
"I am more like an aunt to him than a teacher. And I never really had to teach him much. He was always too mature and too beyond his years. He always caught on quick,.I only ever had to guide him a bit, and the rest he figured out on his own," and that was a surprise for even Minato had needed more than that.
But he was a genius nonetheless. One that their enemies had deigned dangerous enough that they had targeted at great cost.
"Is there any word from the Northern front?" she asked, and Minato shook his head.
"I am afraid not, at least nothing more than what you already know," and that was troubling.
"It's done," she said as she rose up and handed him his uniform.
"Take care," she said, knowing full well that he was set to depart for what was going to be perhaps the most important mission of the war, one that could turn the tides of the war.
"I will..."
0000
IZUNA UCHIHA
The plan was rather simple, in a way. Izuna had taken the weeks leading upto this to place his seals all across the defence line, or at least nearly all of it. Though with the seal needing his presence to activate, he would have to blitz across the area at extreme speed as he activated his seals, hence halting the movements of the enemy in, killing all of them, or most of them, as he moved onto the next point, and so forth.
And though it may seem simple, the attack was largely dependent on his lone self, a barely nine-year-old child. And that made many a nin rather queasy, but it was not as if they had anything better to offer.
"You ready, kid?" questioned the commander in chief of the Northern Front, who stood behind him, smoking a cigarette, as Izuna stood there atop a tree beside him, waiting for the signal.
"I am," and Izuna could see Shikaku Nara eyeing him continually, and when it got too much, he raised a brow.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, and the man sighed as he shook his head.
"No, it just feels a bit queasy that all our fates are in the hands of an eight-year-old child," the Nara commander added with a condescending chuckle, as Izuna simply shrugged.
"Well, if it makes it any better you are a bit wrong there," he added making the man frown as he added with a small smile.
"I am nine," he added, much to the man's surprise, as they both watched the smoke signals go off from one of the defence lines, signalling the beginning of the offensive, and just as that one, smoke signals were fired from one post to another.
"What? I thought you were eight," he asked, as they still stood there waiting for the final signal.
"I was when I came here. I turned nine an hour ago," he replied, given that it was an hour past midnight. He was now officially nine years old, as the future Nara clan head shook his head.
"You know that just makes it worse," he lamented lazily as his shoulders sagged.
"Why didn't you even say anything?" he complained, and Izuna shrugged.
"It was irrelevant to the mission," and then it happened: a green signal was fired, marking the signal from the Nara units placed behind each defense unit. Their purpose was to identify enemy high-ranking ninjas like Joins who could perhaps overcome his seals and use their shadow possession on them to make sure that they did not stop him.
"It's on," and the demeanor of the commander changed the instant the flares turned green as Izuna nodded and took a deep breath as he pushed his chakra to his eyes and felt the world shift as he opened them once more. And now the black irises were replaced by the scarlet of the Sharingan, which gleamed in the darkness as he began to cycle through a set of all too familiar handseals.
"How are you even going to move and kill Kumo nin?" the man questioned as he saw him cycling through a series of rather unknown set of handseals. As he riled up his chakra, Izuna took a deep breath, his eyes shifted, and so did the world. It became clearer and slower as he reached for the two tantos around his back.
And as he brought them forward and pushed chakra into his feet, the Nara commander suddenly gasped as a dozen forms of him emerged from beside him, each of them looking just like him as voices reverberated across the clearing.
"You need not worry about that!" The man was taken aback as he blurred through the forest as the last green signal took to the air. He put his late friend Shisui's signature move to the test as twelve figures of himself cut through the forest as they reached the first camp.
And as soon as he was in range, the seal activated, the markings spreading around as a web from the trees, from the ground, in the air as the Kumo-nin found themselves bound and tied, unable to move as his dozen or so bodies tore through their whole unit in one fell swoop.
SLASH! SLASH! SPLATTER!
"What...." They did not even have a second to comprehend what had transpired as he blurred past them, now covered in a splatter of blood and gore as he pushed through the tree line, as twelve pairs of Sharingan glinted in the darkness as he came upon the second camp.
"What the hell!" one of them screamed as the seals activated and bound them all once more, making them immobile as he tore through them once more and moved forward without even stopping. The few enemy attacks and shuriken all passed through him as his own cut their necks.
And then came the third and the fourth....until his body burned his chakra, and he was exhausted as he came upon the last camp and activated his seal once more.
CLANK!
BOOOM!
And yet it did not activate as a massive explosion shook the ground, sending him tumbling back as his body tore through a whole tree.
"GUGHHH!" and that was dangerous and unexpected as pain rippled through his body while he struggled back to his feet.
"You! YOU DAMN DEVIL!" the Kumo-nin did not let go of the opportunity and surrounded him quickly as he found himself coughing blood, while half a dozen Kumo-nin surrounded him, their eyes shaking with fear and rage as they all rushed into kill him.
That explosion. It had been deliberate. Someone had messed up with his sealing work, and someone had just tried to kill him once more, hence confirming his earlier suspicions about the attack on his team from back then.
"HALT!" he screamed as the last vestiges of his chakra roared at his command and burned through his chakra networks, and he felt them burn. His eyes, they burned, with his rage and pain as the Kumo-nin all, stopped in their tracks, their faces paled as Izuna pushed himself back to his feet as his eyes spun, and the world cleared up like nothing before as blood dripped down his face—fresh blood that was oozing out his eyes which had evolved a step further from the three tomoe Sharingan—to the Mangekyo Sharingan.
And in that second, he looked at their faces as he huffed and gave them the same command as he had done to the ones who had attacked his team and had killed his friend.
"KILL YOURSELF!" and he saw them stiffen for a second before they all reached for their kunai and plunged them into their necks, showering him in a flood of scarlet blood as they all fell to the ground as he stood there impassively, and watched as the life drained out of their eyes.
And then a pale-looking and worried Nara Shikaku blurred behind him, watching the six dead Kumo-nin rather nervously as he asked.
"What happened here?"
And Izuna looked back into the man's eyes as he stilled.
"Nothing..." he answered as his Sharingan spun, and the man's eyes widened.
"Nothing at all...." and with those words he felt the world spin, as his vision began to darken as the Nara commander rushed towards him.
"Izu..."
THUMP
0000
Back in Konoha, a young Itachi prepared himself alone for the first day of the academy. As the time for the academy to start came closer and closer, he realized that his brother would not be able to keep his promise of accompanying him on this first day.
Their mother had come with them, and yet she could not stay for long as she had to visit the hospital for a checkup, for she had not been feeling well the past few days. Itachi did not wish to bother her, and so he stood there all alone as he watched parents, and siblings accompanying the other students.
And he was lost in looking at everyone, his mind thinking of their future, on how only a few of them would make it to graduation and fewer still would survive their first year on the battlefield.
And yet few of them understood the danger that lay ahead, and were all laughing and celebrating as they entered this cruel life of a shinobi.
"Yo," he heard the sound from behind, and turned his hand and found himself face to face with an older girl, one who seemed to be a part of academy, but given the lack of a hitai-ate had probably not graduated yet.
Though much to his surprise she had really addressed him. He had heard of bullying, and imagined that it might just be that.
"Yes," he replied and watched as another girl slid out from behind the girl.
"You are Izuna's brother right," she asked as Itachi's eyes widen, as he saw the older girl and nodded.
"Yes," he replied, and he saw her eyes narrow as she put forward his hand.
"My name is Saiko, Saiko Uchiha from the graduating class. Your brother asked me to show you around in his stead," and his eyes widened as he shook her hand.
"Thank you, but how do you know my brother?" he asked as the girl smiled.
"We were classmates, at least for a few months," she added with a chuckle as she pointed to the dark-haired girl behind her.
"This is my sister, Izumi. She is in the year above you," and the girl nodded.
"Good morning, Itachi-kun," she greeted him, and Itachi nodded.
"Good mornin..."
"Are you really Izuna-san's brother?" she asked rather enthusiastically. Itachi was taken aback, but he still nodded.
"Yes, I am, why?" he said and saw those eyes brighten up.
"Because I wish to be a shinobi just like him...."
0000
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