3 Chapter 3: Training Day

Arriving home, he was in for a pleasant surprise as his mother had already returned. He could hear her and his father talking as soon as he entered the house. Taking off his sandals, he swiftly entered the kitchen and found his parents together, smiling as they chattered away.

"Mom, you're back already?" Hikaru exclaimed, seeing her for the first time in a month; as a member of the Military Police Force, she was an elite among the Uchiha clan and thus participated in the war efforts, fighting on the frontlines for the village.

"Karu! Oh, it's been so long since I last saw you. Come here", she beckoned him to come close, with her arms outstretched as she crouched down.

Ahma Uchiha was a short woman in her mid-twenties. Lithe of figure, she would be considered a gentle beauty by most people, save for her eyes which had a certain sharpness to them which made you feel as if she was analyzing your every trait and considering the best ways to subdue you should the need arise. Yet right now, those eyes, no matter how sharp they naturally were, expressed only sparkling love for the child before her. With the flowing rivers of raven black hair that ended around her chest unbound by their usual pins, her narrow face looked all the more delicate for it.

She wore the dark green flak jacket issued to all those in the Military Police Force, with the organization's symbol emblazoned on both her sleeves. Beneath the jacket, she wore the standard attire of shinobi, a dark black shit with kusari gusoku underneath. Similarly, her legwear was also standard attire. In fact, that was the perfect way to express her personality, the ideal shinobi, a real by-the-rules sort of person.

Embracing his mother, Hikaru enjoyed the sturdiness of her seemingly weak arms as they wrapped around him.

"How is my shining sun?" Ahma asked while resting her head upon the boy's own. She didn't let it show, but the past month had not been good for her mentally speaking. There was far too much death and destruction, even for a shinobi like her.

"I'm good, mom. Just trying my hardest to get stronger, so I can be like you when I grow up", her son answered with an all-too-serious voice. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm, silly boy, there's no need to rush things as much as you do, you'll have all the time you need to become strong, I'm sure," she replied with the soft voice she only reserved for her family.

"As for your old mother here, I'm doing just fine; after all, I'm here with you and your father, and I'm here to stay," she glanced up at Sora with a smile as bright as the morning sun.

"Good." Nodding, Hikaru pulled back from the embrace and sat himself at the table. The scent of roasted meat sent a shiver down his spine and caused his throat to gag a bit, but with some effort, he managed to overcome such feelings.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩... He thought as all feelings of revulsion subsided, and his mind whirled to action. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴, 𝘐 𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭...

Just like that, the family shared a meal together for the first time in quite a while. Yet, Hikaru's thoughts drifted elsewhere as his parents conversed, prompting him to half-consciously respond to questions thrown his way. 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴' 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴' 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘩𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩. He glanced up at his mother's beaming face.

𝘐𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱? 𝘕𝘰, 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘳𝘶𝘻𝘦𝘯… 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘩𝘢'𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘩𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘯'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘰'𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘏𝘢, 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘩𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘰𝘣𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴… 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.

Shelving such useless thoughts for the future, Hikaru re-engaged with the conversation between his parents for a short time before making the request he had wanted to make since the meal began.

"Mom, can I have a straight-bladed tanto?"

She turned her head towards her son and examined him for a second, "Hmm, and why do you want that?"

"I want to learn kenjutsu, and that's the best blade for me right now,"

"What is it that made you want to learn sword techniques?" Unlike her husband, Ahma didn't simply shrug and agree to her son's requests after asking one question; she wasn't so carefree.

Hikaru had already predicted such a question, so he had an answer prepared. If he told his mother he was to be instructed by Sakumo, she would doubtlessly forbid him from doing so. As a by-the-books woman, she disdained rule breakers, especially if those broken rules cost the village dearly. So naturally, she despised Sakumo and wouldn't want Hikaru to be corrupted by such a man.

"Because dad learned it, that's what you told me, right, that you trained in kenjutsu as a boy, like everyone in Kirigakure?" Then, turning his head towards his father, Hikaru shifted the conversation over to him.

"Well…" Rubbing the back of his head, Sora smiled sheepishly, "It's true I did train as a child, but I was never really that good." Nonetheless, he felt touched that his son wanted to emulate him. He often lamented that beyond purple hair, there was much too little of himself that he saw in his son, so he was delighted to support this sudden decision Hikaru had made.

"How would you train?" Ahma asked, still carefully eyeing her son.

"With classmates. The Academy will help me, too!" Again, Hikaru had an acceptable answer ready to go.

"Hmm, you don't want anyone from our clan to help you?" She raised an eyebrow, worried that perhaps she hadn't been around enough to instill a sense of kinship in her son with the rest of her clan. She then began to consider moving house, to live in one of the Uchiha streets dotted around the village. The clan wasn't the most important thing to her, but it was still very dear to her heart.

"Well… I don't really know anyone… Other than Obito," now it was Hikaru's turn to rub the back of his head and smile sheepishly, a mannerism he had picked up from his father.

"Darling, why don't you just get him the tanto he wants? There's no harm, is there?" Sora placed a hand over his wife's, looking into her eyes, practically pleading with her.

Towards the war's end, the sales of weapons and ninja tools had become restricted except for certain approved vendors. It was the Land of Fire's effort to clamp down on the booming black market and prevent any more equipment from being stolen or sold off. Furthermore, only Konoha shinobi and those belonging to the country's military could easily buy them, always prioritized above all other customers. Hikaru had no doubt that such policies were still in place and would remain in place for the immediate future until Konoha was sure things had truly settled down and that all the roaming bandits and former shinobi endangering areas within the Land of Fire had been quashed.

Ahma looked between the two for a few seconds before giving in and nodding her assent. "I will see about getting you a straight-bladed tanto," she said coolly, "but… I expect my little sun to be a blade master in the future!" Her face broke out into a grin as she said the second part with a bright voice.

"I will be Konoha's greatest swordsman!" Hikaru proudly declared. Inwardly, he was relieved that he roped his father into helping him and began considering the next steps he should take.

The next day, Hikaru spent the morning with his family before visiting the few weapon stores still operating in Konoha. After touring a couple and carefully inspecting various blades of different quality, Ahma eventually settled on one that she found satisfactory. It wasn't composed of any unique metal or alloy, certainly, no material that held unique chakra properties like Sakumo's tanto or Asuma's chakra blades. However, it was of good quality, and that was the thing that mattered most to Hikaru's mother.

Thanking his mother for the gift, the two parted ways following farewells, she had to report in at the Military Police Headquarters, and he had training to do. There were only two more days free before he had to return to the Academy.

𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯… 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘮𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

With such thoughts in his mind and determination in his every step, he soon found himself yet again at the Hatake house. Knocking on the door, he ritually awaited Sakumo's appearance, only to be met by a bewildered Kakashi.

"Yes?"

"Hello, Kakashi. I'm here to see your father," the Uchiha explained casually.

"Right, he told me he was training one of my classmates… Dad, Hikaru's here for you!" Kakashi glanced at him with a mixture of confusion and gratitude.

It had been the most lively he'd seen his father since he failed that mission, and it meant he would be out of the house for once, doing something. Given the treatment he received from those in the village and his own shame, he only ever left the house for two things: picking Kakashi up from school and taking part in the few missions given to him. For all of that, he was thankful towards that mediocre Uchiha classmate of his.

Hikaru nodded his thanks before stepping back and giving the father and son space to speak. Sakumo then came out of the house, looking as hollow as ever, yet a small light shined within him now.

"I see you've already gotten yourself a blade like mine. Very good. Not only is it a blade best suited for someone of your age and size, but it's also the one I'm most proficient in using,"

"Those were my thoughts, sir," Hikaru said, as his right hand went behind his back and gripped the hilt of his new tanto that sat upright behind his left shoulder.

"Well, I suppose there's no point in wasting any time. Let's go. I have a personal training ground we can use. Away from prying eyes." Sakumo's glazed-over eyes seemed to sharpen for a split second as he glanced over in one specific direction.

𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦…? 𝘐'𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘮𝘰'𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘔.𝘖. 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘨?

Not letting any of these questions show on his face, Hikaru agreed with Sakumo's words and followed him off towards his private training ground. Neither one spoke a word the entire journey. Hikaru had no desire to get to know the dead man more than necessary, and Sakumo naturally wasn't a great conversationalist in his current state.

Only when they arrived at a secluded clearing did Sakumo finally open his mouth. "First and foremost is physical fitness. That is most important. Second is footwork. Everything else follows after that. Footwork, hand-eye coordination, battle judgment, and experience – All of these things culminate in a term we consider "skill." Techniques are separate but deeply intertwined with skill."

Hikaru considered his teacher's words and found them obvious yet profound. Words he shouldn't forget. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

His mind then moved over to the mention of techniques. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘶, 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘶 𝘰𝘳 𝘧ū𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘶, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘶.

Examining the boy, Sakumo shook his head but then pondered for a second and changed his mind. For his age Hikaru was quite physically fit; it was just that he couldn't help but compare the Uchiha to his son and find him lacking.

An image of a boy with deeply damaged hands flashed in the White Fang's mind. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭... 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥.

"Right. Well, physical fitness aside, we will work on basic movements for now; until they are ingrained within you to the point where you could do them while sleeping. Sparring will come at a later date. Any questions?"

"Yes, sir. How should I best improve my physical fitness?"

"I'm sure the Academy has already instructed on the basics. Training with me will also improve them. I don't have any particular instruction when it comes to that, as everyone has their own methods. If you're at a loss, your best bet would be to ask that mother of yours for help. She's quite a capable shinobi, after all."

"Of course. Thank you, sir." Hikaru was quite disappointed, as he had hoped such a legendary shinobi would have a specially crafted physical fitness training regiment, but alas, things couldn't be so easy.

"If there's nothing else, then let's begin," the White Fang said as he unsheathed his own blade and began instructing his new student.

Three hours passed as Hikaru tirelessly repeated the same six movements, over and over again. Towards the end, he even began to incorporate them into shadow sparring, no longer repeating the same moves in a stiff, stable position; but actively moving around. It was clumsy and unstable, but he didn't slack even for a second. He couldn't afford to. He wouldn't let himself.

Sweating buckets and panting like a dog, he lay sprawled out on the floor, aching all over once again. It seemed to be a constant for him; if everything else ceased, body aches would remain.

"Well, that concludes our training today. Make sure to get enough rest to recuperate properly. Seek me again when you're ready. In the meantime, you should still practice those movements by yourself," Sakumo instructed as he waved a hand and used the Body Flicker jutsu to disappear.

"Hah… What a rude guy…." Wiping the sweat away from his eyes, Hikaru once again found himself staring up at the sky, getting lost in the vast expanse of blue, trying to penetrate the secrets that hid behind it.

This was a pleasant feeling, too - Working hard, improving. Though, it still couldn't compare to the euphoria he had felt that day. Shaking off these newfound yearnings of his, he returned to the situation at hand.

𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 3 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦… 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘮𝘰'𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦? 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘒𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴…

𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯.

People flocked to Nakano Shrine from all across the village, shinobi of all different ages and ranks came together for the mandatory clan meeting. The only things that they shared in common? Their onyx black eyes.

Among them, Ahma Uchiha walked with her hair pulled up and held in place by pins and her gaze cold and imperious; she was completely different from how her family saw her. Some nodded respectfully towards her; others sneered disdainfully at her. While she was a talented rising star among the Uchiha clan and a woman renowned for her professionalism, she was also a figure emblematic of the current crisis the clan experienced.

As someone who married outside of the clan and did not live among her fellow clansmen, she was a figurehead for the current movement that placed less importance on the authority and structure of the clan and more on the village itself.

Like the Senju before them, the Uchiha clan was finally in the process of dissolving, only held together by two things: their shared kekkei genkai and the Military Police Force, which was an institute specifically created for their clan. Both of which strengthened clan ties and naturally made them closer than they otherwise would be.

It was ironic that what the Second Hokage had created as a means of controlling the Uchiha clan had backfired and instead helped maintain the Uchiha clan as a distinct entity when it would have otherwise assimilated into Konoha completely.

Two main factions formed due to these circumstances: The traditionalists, those who clung to the Uchiha clan's past glories and held positions of authority within the clan, who were reluctant to lose such power; and those who embraced the change, having a less clan-centered mentality and who felt like Konoha shinobi first and foremost and Uchiha members second, younger people mostly.

Nodding her head back to those that greeted her and ignoring those that sneered at her, Ahma entered the shrine and went down to the underground section.

The hall, fifteen or so tatami mats large, was almost filled to capacity.

As the last people to arrive took their places, several of the human forms stood up and together lit the candles in the four corners of the room. A faint light illuminated the interior.

At the back of the room stood a man whose hair flowed down to his waist, more gray than black, facing those who all knelt before him with a steely gaze. Beside him knelt a young man with a square face and hard eyes; he had a face that looked as if it had never smiled once in his entire life. He was the patriarch's heir, Fugaku. He was by far the most talented Uchiha to have been born in recent years, but talent alone wasn't enough to warrant him leading the clan; he was also loyal to both the clan and village in equal measure and quite good at handling internal conflicts.

"We will now begin our regular meeting," Fugaku announced beside the patriarch after ensuring everyone had both attended and taken their places.

With a bow of his head towards the patriarch, he shut his mouth.

Pacing from left to right, the elder finally spoke. "As you all know, the Second Great Shinobi War is over," with those words booming across the room, he stopped and gave them a second to sink in.

Everyone among the crowd had participated to one extent or another and had lost friends, comrades, and loved ones. However, it was not such a simple occasion for the Uchiha clan as it was for other clans.

"Those of you who have gained something in exchange for your suffering, reveal it now for everyone to see!"

With those words, dozens of crimson lights suddenly grew in the eyes of half as many people within the room.

𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵. The patriarch did not let such feelings show on his face, as he couldn't afford to anger people, not now that his authority was so weak.

Around a third of the people in the room had already awakened their sharingan; yet, the war not only helped others awaken their own but also helped to evolve many people's sharingan to the next stages. Among those gathered, there were even four more people possessing 3 Tomoe.

Naturally, Fugaku was among them; although he had not gained great merits during this war, his eyes had evolved rapidly as his talent began to bloom.

𝘛𝘤𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. His eyes betrayed a flicker of annoyance for a split second when passing over Ahma Uchiha, but that split second was all it took for those with their sharingan active to notice.

Realizing his mistake, he quickly spoke again before anyone could complain. "Very good. You have all inherited your comrades' will. Through their deaths, they empower you; a part of them remains with you. More than that, you bear the future of the Uchiha clan on your shoulders, and your eyes are the very proof of that."

Various people clicked their tongues at the last part of his speech, finding it distasteful.

Everyone whose eyes shined red closed them for a moment, switching them back to their natural state with haunted expressions.

"Now, with that out of the way, let's move on to more grave matters. Ahma!"

The woman in question bowed her head before straightening and staring at the elder, "Yes, my lord?"

"Report to the clan the details of your mission during the war," he ordered.

"Of course. As some of you already know, I was in charge of recovery operations for our fallen brethren. Many enemy combatants coveted our power, and as such, the duty of recovering the bodies of our Uchiha clansmen fell to my team and me." She pursed her lips and gritted her teeth for a second before continuing. "Unfortunately, a great many of those we recovered already had their eyes stolen," spitting out the last words, a murderous aura erupted from her, quickly followed by waves of bloodlust that flared up throughout the entire room.

All internal conflicts disappeared at this moment, as everyone in the room shared the very same thought, '𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦!'

"Shamefully, I was unable to apprehend those behind most of the cases of theft. Those that we did catch… They are no longer of this world," Ahma finished her report with a cruel smile as her eyes blazed red.

No one faulted Ahma's failure in securing their clan's legacy from poachers, as the exact same thing had occurred during the First Great Shinobi War, except this time they were able to recover the bodies, which was an improvement.

The patriarch's fury was tangible, rolling out of his body in waves as he struggled to keep his raging chakra under control. As a proud member of the clan, the eyes of his brethren, the legacy of his forefathers was supreme in importance to him, not to mention the disrespect done to the Uchiha by those who defiled their bodies and got away with it.

Fugaku's eyes narrowed as he glanced up at the patriarch. Although he felt just as furious at such an affront, he still found the elder's behavior to be inappropriate.

The overwhelming power spiraling around the patriarch's body all fell and disappeared as he sighed. Then, looking as if he aged ten years, the man nodded and thanked Ahma for her report.

"Brothers, sisters, we are being hunted. It is clear now. More than that, we are being toyed with! Do you all not see how foolish it is to divide our strength and split the clan apart?" His voice no longer boomed or demanded but was more like a whispered plea.

Some people in the crowd hesitated, shaken by the news and concerned that if the clan continued to dissolve, they would only suffer as a result. Others were more obstinate, insisting they shouldn't be ruled by fear. A small group of people even insisted that it was the clan itself that painted targets on their backs and that they would be safer by being just like any other shinobi of Konoha.

Various people argued back and forth until it was clear to Fugaku that they would get nowhere, so he shouted for people to cease talking and to move on to the next topic on the agenda.

"Let us then move onto matters of promotion within the Military Police Force." The bloodlust diminished significantly as the meeting changed focus.

Strictly speaking, it was quite improper for the decision-making of a separate institute belonging to the village to be made within a clan meeting, but no one was under any illusion that the Military Police Force was anything other than a facet of the Uchiha clan.

Hours passed until finally, the clan meeting came to an end, and people gradually went their separate ways.

The old man known as the patriarch of the Uchiha clan slumped his shoulders after the last person left, turning to his successor with a feeble appearance.

"I fear that our clan is on the verge of collapse. I am not so blind to see that I am not capable enough to prevent it."

Fugaku seemed at a loss for words. "...My lord, what is it you mean to say?"

"Hah! It's rare to see you express any emotion these days," the old man smiled at the boy before him. 𝘞𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯... 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵. An image of that annoyingly talented blonde boy from the Namikaze clan flashed through his mind.

"It would be inappropriate of me to recklessly show such emotion as someone who will soon hold the clan above my shoulders and lead it into the next age," Fugaku replied stiffly.

"That is why I hold great hope for you," patting the boy's shoulder, the patriarch felt reassured. "Very soon. When you are ready, I will pass everything on to you. The clan needs new blood to lead it into the next generation, someone not as… stuck in his old ways as I. The clan needs you, Fugaku."

Fugaku stared up at the patriarch for several seconds before bowing deeply, "I will do my best to ensure the clan stands strong and thrives."