Pov. Levi Uchiha.
Waking up, I met a worried Naori. (Father) had already explained to her that it was training. But he didn't explain to me that I wasn't training with an ordinary old man, but with a great elder. Tai Uchiha didn't know this fact either, since he started opening his mouth and insulting me for my appearance yesterday. As soon as I said who I was training with, the stream of insults stopped. And he sat quietly until the end of class.
After finishing class, I decided to go home. I don't know if I'll make it home today, so I decided to take a sealing scroll with everything I need. But before training, I decided to go to Katsu-sensei.
"Hello Katsu-sensei." It's good that he didn't go on a mission, otherwise I would have had to wait with questions.
"Hello Levi-kun. Why did you come? You have a new sensei. And fix your shirt." I was somehow confused, but quickly fixed my shirt and said.
"Yes, I am learning from the great elder. I wanted to ask why I was not taught to hold back chakra? To hide from sensors?" At these words, his face changed and there was guilt in his eyes.
"I think that this is an unnecessary skill for you. I remember you wanted to learn Kenjutsu. I wanted to teach you, but the great elder took over your training, and I am not his equal, but take the scroll and come to me if you do not understand something. Bye." The sensei said, dissolving into shinshin. Hmm, he is somehow strange today. He spoke as if he did not want to answer the question. He is always strange, but today more than usual.
Throwing these thoughts away, I put the scroll in the house and rushed to the great elder's house. Why am I in such a hurry? I think that the beatings will be worse if he has to look for me.
Pov. Keitsu Uchiha.
From Levi-kun's question, I remembered what I tried to bury deep in my heart. What I hoped not to remember. I have lived under the oppression of this incident for so long that I can no longer remember what it is like to breathe freely? I live in debt. Which I cannot pay off. Perhaps if I died then I would be happier?
Time. 2 Shinobi World War. Place. Forest. Not far from the battlefield of the Land of Fire and the Land of Stone.
Pov. Young Keitsu Uchiha.
On the rocks you can see a picture of a young man of about 12 years old. with black eyes and hair the color of a raven's wing. This man's name is Uchiha Keitsu.
He was looking at a swallow feeding 2 chicks, one just born, and the second almost adult. As soon as he turned away from this picture, a stone fell, killing the swallow and breaking the wing of an adult chick.
My older sister Sarah (Mother of Levi Uchiha) and I are going on a mission. It consists of penetrating into the heart of the Stone Country and killing one noble who supports the war. The task is difficult and I am worried. But I am here with my sister Sarah. This gives me hope. She is the best in Konoha in this. Even the 2nd Hokage-sama offered her a place in his ANBU, but she refused. The elders and the clan head were not happy about this. In general.
Sarah Uchiha was a close friend of my mother, but my mother died of chakra disease when I became a genin. And Sarah-san began to teach me as her successor.
She had a son and should be retired. The third Hokage-sama himself asked her to take on this mission. This request was impossible to refuse. The clan head and elders would not forgive, and her husband wants to become an elder.
"What is my little successor thinking about?" Sarah asked me with a chuckle. I pushed the thoughts away from myself and said with a smile.
"About how cool my sister is. I can't compare to you." I finished with admiration at first, and then sadly.
"Hahaha." She laughed out loud. After catching her breath, Sarah said,
"You're also very talented at hiding, Katsuki-kun. The main thing when training to slow down your chakra is not to overdo it, otherwise your shinobi potential will become trash. This is the most dangerous thing in our job, except for other shinobi." And she laughed at her own joke.
She repeated these words countless times. The main thing in our job is not to lose potential. This happens when you slow down your chakra for too long, and when you release it, it flows slower than before the slowdown. This happens all the time. That's why the battle between guards and infiltrators often turns into a one-sided massacre. If the infiltrators are much more numerous, or their strength is much higher, only then is there a chance of winning this battle. (That's why the ANBU in the anime seemed like trash.)
So how do you lose your potential? It's just that your chakra flows slower than it did before you slowed it down. Of course, some time should pass before making such conclusions. Usually 1 week, maximum 2.
How do shinobi lie in shelter for 5 days? So these are professionals (mostly ANBU.) And then they have a long rehabilitation period.
Sarah turned to me with a smile on her lips, "Well, kid, shall we go?"
"Yes." And we went on a mission. Jumping through the trees, we reached the river.
"A 5-minute break and then on our way again." Sarah intertwined seals with her hands. This is her sensory technique. It is extremely rare for the Uchiha. I do not have such a talent. Of course, compared to the same Yamonakami, Sarah-san's talent seems meager. But for this job, this is a very important skill that saves lives. Here Sarah-san sharp she quickly takes out a kunai and becomes wary. I repeat her actions and feel fear rising in my throat.
"For 3 hours. 5 people." She tells me and I feel my heart grow cold. But at the same time I turn my body a little in the right direction. Kunai flew out of the forest. I began to fight them off, but then a kunai with an explosion seal flew out and two Uchiha jumped back. Five shinobi in jounin uniforms jumped out from behind the forest. My heart sank from this.
"Oh, what beautiful eyes." The pot-bellied jounin chuckled.
And yes, Sara-san had a sharingan of 3 tamoe and I had 1 tamoe. I recently awakened them here in the war.
"And the girl is beautiful." Another jounin with green hair supported his comrade with a nasty smile.
"They are from the explosion corps, these idiots are completely crazy," Sara-san quietly whispered to me.
"What are you whispering about?" Asked a jounin with a nasty scar on half his face.
"About how we're going to divide the spoils." Sara-san said with a sweet smile. It was a tactic to stall for time to get the chakra going.
"You bitch!" The guy with the scar shouted.
"Calm down. Let's get started." Apparently their leader said, and yes, the tactic didn't work. Then everything was blurry and all I saw was blood.
I woke up from this only then, as Sara-san carried me on her back.
"What happened?" I said, confused.
"You were immediately wounded. Even the scar on your forehead will remain. I had to guard you. But I killed their medic." Sara-san squeezed out through the pain. And only then did I notice a deep cut on her stomach.
"We need to go back!" I exclaimed.
"No! We will finish the mission. My son will live in peacetime." And now Uchiha Keitsu would not believe such an excuse, but that boy took it on faith.
For three more days these shinobi chased them and with each hour Sara was getting worse. We were sneaking through the forest for the third day. Sara-san looks terrible, I can't say that I'm better. We slowed down our chakra as much as possible. I'm sure that even the Hyuga wouldn't have found us.
"Run," Sara-san told me in a quiet whisper. I didn't understand what had happened and wanted to speak but. "
They're here. Tell Levi-kun that I love him."
"No," I weakly tried to object.
"Hahaha they're there!" I was only driven by fear then. I stood in place and couldn't move.
"Run." As soon as I ran I heard the sounds of a fight. I don't know how, but among the pounding of my heart and the general chaos I heard.
"She killed our sensor." Having understood this information, I climbed a tree and lay down. The fight lasted for a long time. But at one point everything stopped and sounds were heard below me.
"Hahaha we caught you. Damn she swallowed poison." I recognized from the voice that it was a pot-bellied jounin.
"Don't worry. I know medical ninjutsu. We'll have time to have fun." After that, I heard faint sounds of a fight and Sara-san's voice.
"No please."
"Heh we'll cut out her tongue." Said the jounin with green hair. After that, I heard a guttural scream. The sounds of violence continued for two hours, mixed with screams.
And me. I couldn't move, I froze in fear with tears in my eyes. They kept rolling down. And me? I was afraid. The last words I heard from Sara-san were
"Sorry Levi-kun." The jounins laughed some more and then left.
An hour later I came down and saw Sara-sama all disfigured with bloody cuts on all parts of her body except for her intimate areas and with her eyes gouged out. At that moment the world spun and I saw it so clearly in such minute details that I wanted to scratch my eyes out. But I will still remember it forever. Taking the bandage from her head, I burned Sara-sama's body. Somehow I managed to get to the Konoha camp, told them that we fought with 5 jounin and I escaped, after which I managed to take and burn the body. I realized that they did not believe me, but there was a war and no one would check me. Because I'm not a spy.
As soon as I got to Konoha, I gave all my money to remove the scar. I even spent the money that my mother had saved for my wedding.
And the Uchiha clan celebrated. Everyone congratulated me on the awakening of the 3 tamoe. I hate them!
At Sara-sama's funeral, I couldn't look at the tombstone. I still can't. I approached Sara-sama's husband.
"Take me as your subordinate." I said firmly, looking into his eyes.
"Is it because of Sara?" He asked cautiously.
"Yes. But I will never hide my chakra again." I will never back down again, and I will never be so weak.
"Hee, what are you willing to do for Levi-kun?"
"Die," I said without hesitation. I saw a faint smile touch his lips.
"You are accepted." I don't need more.
Pov Uchiha Keitsu present tense.
How many times have I dreamed of committing suicide? I can't count. I have always lived only for Levi-kun. So that he could live better than me. I was not a coward. Not like me.
As long as I live, I will protect him. A silent guardian who will never back down and will never be afraid again.
Now, as an experienced shinobi, I understand that Sara-sama knew that everything was going badly. Most likely, she knew that she would die in the first clash against 5 jounin. Why didn't she retreat? Didn't she want to leave her career with a bad ending? Didn't she want to let the clan down? I understand somewhere deep in my soul that it was pride. That same Uchiha pride. Stupid? But she lived and died as an Uchiha her whole life. That's what I taught Levi-kun. But How can I teach something that I can't be? Will it be easier if I die? Even if it's such a simple way out. But I'm still afraid. Afraid to see her there and look into her eyes and see disappointment. I'm a coward, no one knows this better than me. I dream of dying. But for now, I'll live for Levi-kun.