65 Missed 'ya!
[THIRD PERSON POV:]
"Hng!"
*THUNK!*
The shuriken had missed its mark by a few inches, landing near the target's perimeter as opposed to the centre that was being aimed for.
"Ugh..." A small groan of annoyance escaped the boy's lips. He'd been at this for an hour and hadn't managed to accomplish his goal yet.
'10 in a row. 10 in a row at the centre and I'll be done...' he repeated to himself, walking up to the target and collecting the shuriken embedded within it. His record was 8 before failing, he nearly kicked the tree when he missed the 9th throw.
The boy's mother had made a simple and easy meal that didn't suit his tastes, and in protest, he had skipped dinner last night. Hunger's painful pangs had begun to rear their ugly head, making him sorely regret that decision, especially since it made hitting the targets even harder.
The child, looking to be no more than 6, got in position and held a shuriken between his fingers, ready to try again.
"Still at it Sasuke?" a voice sounded out from behind him, interrupting his throw.
Sasuke turned around in surprise to see the smiling face of his older brother looking at him, he was leaned up against a tree while dressed in his ANBU uniform, save the mask which was hanging off his hip.
"Itachi!" A bright smile bloomed on Sasuke's face as he ran towards his brother, arms open to hug him.
*Tap!*
Itachi stopped Sasuke's bull rush with a small tap to the forehead with his fingers, causing Sasuke to groan and hold his head with his hands, looking at Itachi as if his brother had done him a great betrayal.
Itachi chuckled at the sight, finding it cute. Before Sasuke could protest any further, Itachi leaned down and scooped the boy up, putting him on his shoulders. Sasuke allowed this to happen, his dismayed face of betrayal softening as he took in the view from above his brother's head.
"Perseverance is an admirable trait Sasuke, but you won't accomplish anything if you can't focus." Reminded Itachi as they walked away from the clearing and onto a thin dirt path.
Sasuke "Hmph'd" at his brother's advice, puffing out his cheeks in annoyance. He had been trying to sneak out and achieve 10 hits in a row so he could surprise Itachi with his accomplishment, but he'd been found out too early.
The older brother had guessed his sibling's motives and smiled wryly at his childishness, however secretly, he cherished the innocence of his brother more than Sasuke would ever know. Itachi's world was one mired with blood and anguish, traversing the ruthless politics of the Leaf weighed his kind heart down more than he'd ever let on.
The death of Shisui had been a devastating blow, one Itachi didn't feel he'd ever recover from.
There was some solace found in his family, especially within his brother whose childishness would provide him with a temporary escape, however, that only served to placate him.
The only thing that'd bring Itachi true peace would be securing the safety of his village and clan, regrettably, the chances of that happening seemed to diminish by the day.
"Hmph!" Sasuke said again, breaking the lull of silence that had fallen over the two. Clearly, the little boy wanted more attention. Itachi's thoughts had grown clouded with the village's troubles and he'd ignored the small child hanging off his shoulders.
"Real ninjas persevere until the end! You should've let me continue!" The boy said, patting Itachi on the shoulder.
"Real ninjas aren't picky with their dinner either, Sasuke." Itachi said in a teasing tone with a small laugh at the end, eliciting Sasuke to throw out another classic "Hmph!" and turn his head away.
The two bickered for some more time before they reached the clan compound. The usually boisterous and prideful clan had a sombre air about it. Shisui was held in high regard by all, not only were his skills exceptional, but his character and personality were one that everyone respected, both in the clan and out.
Sasuke had broken away from home and went to practice as nobody was giving him the time of day, the little boy craned his neck about to see if there was anyone he recognised nearby, but other than some stern-looking adults who worked for the Leaf village police force, the streets of the Uchiha were barren.
Mikoto Uchiha was standing outside their house, looking at the two with a tired expression.
As the two got closer, Mikoto started giving an earful to Sasuke about how foolish it was to leave without informing anyone, especially at a time like this. Itachi from below his brother beckoned to his mom to go easy on the boy, eliciting a sigh from the older woman.
Sasuke wriggled off his brother's shoulder and looked apologetically at his mom, apologising for worrying her. The woman wanted to scold him a bit longer, but his cuteness was too hard to resist and Mikoto gave up quickly, leading Sasuke inside to eat breakfast.
Itachi was about to step inside and follow them, when his keen senses noticed a small disturbance from nearby.
'Sharingan.'
Itachi's eyes turned a striking blood red, his eyesight sharpened beyond what was thought possible. The small ruffling of the trees, the barely visible imprints on the ground and the odd fluctuations of the leaves flying through the air allowed him to deduce what was happening.
'ANBU. I see, the Hokage has arrived.' Itachi realised, aware that only the Hokage's personal guard would be ballsy enough to sneak into the Uchiha clan compound at a time like this. He felt it prudent to inform his father, but the man was more than likely already aware.
As the clan heir, Itachi had certain responsibilities he had to fulfil. Itachi had been designated as a pillar of the clan's relationship to the village ever since he joined the ANBU, he knew that welcoming the Hokage was a task expected of him.
*SHOOM!*
Itachi used the body flicker, a Jutsu of his that's seen many revisions at the words of his best friend. The late Uchiha's proficiency with the body flicker was beyond anyone who's ever used it, when compared to Shisui, other ninjas who attempted the Jutsu looked more like children, running about as fast as they could. Itachi arrived near the village entrance quickly, however, there was an unexpected development.
'He's here... and not alone.' Itachi noticed.
A child who looked to be a bit older than Sasuke was walking alongside the old man with his head held high. The boy had his head on a swivel, scanning the clan compounds thoroughly. It wasn't odd for a child to be curious, but Itachi had a nagging suspicion that the newcomer was doing more than merely exploring.
Itachi dropped down from the house he was surveying the duo from and walked up to them with an amicable smile.
'Slight intake of a breath, widened eyes and a half-halted step.'
Even with his Sharingan de-activated, the child's movements were seen through clearly. Disguised as it may be, the boy was surprised to see him. Most children would wear their expression on their faces, whether it be surprise, happiness or anger, but aside from the small burst of emotion when Itachi appeared, the boy's face remained impassive.
Itachi stowed these thoughts away for later and bowed, greeting the Hokage with the formality his visit expected.
Hiruzen nodded, his face remaining serious.
Before Itachi could propose that he lead the way, the child spoke out loud.
-----
[AOKI POV]
Honestly, I got no fucking clue how or why I was allowed to come in with the old man. But there's no way I'd waste this chance.
"Hello! My name is Aoki!" I presented my hand to the Uchiha with a wide smile.
My mind tried to fuck me over by replaying memories of the Uchiha massacre over and over again. Staring into the questioning eyes of the person in front of me made me feel no small amount of fear.
Itachi Uchiha walked towards me and reciprocated my handshake, looking into my eyes with a light smile as he introduced himself.
"My name is Itachi Uchiha. Nice to meet you."
Trying my best to not show my aversion on my face, I nodded and pulled my hand back gently, giving Hiruzen back the reigns to lead the conversation. Introducing myself was enough for now, when I work up the courage later on, I'll speak more with him.
Hiruzen and Itachi shared some pleasantries, when Itachi questioned my being here, Hiruzen explained that "Aoki was worried for the psychological well-being of his dear friends" while patting my shoulder with a small smile.
Right...
'I wonder if Itachi believes it, hell, I wonder if even Hiruzen believes it.' I thought, keeping my replies to Itachi's light questioning short and courteous. Itachi looked particularly surprised when I said that I had graduated at 9 years of age, he guessed I was much older based on my stature.
The clan was nothing short of beautiful. It had an air of elegance not present within the rest of the village. It felt borderline sophisticated, classy even. I felt particularly drawn to the restaurants nearby which looked to serve food I hadn't ever had before.
My mind was still wandering when Itachi stopped in his tracks, alerting me to stop alongside him.
Itachi turned his head to a house, it was fairly larger than the rest of the homes nearby. The assortment of slippers and shoes on the front porch was indicative of the home's contents, clearly, this was our destination.
Itachi turned to the two of us, his impassive face somehow growing more emotionless, "This house belongs an elder of our clan." His tone was measured and careful, a subtle shift from before.
Itachi's eyes which were focused on the Hokage landed on me, "I'm sorry, but this meeting is confidential. Only Lord Hokage is allowed to pass from this point on. I'll leave a Shadow Clone to direct you to a place you stay at for now." Itachi said.
Itachi formed a single hand sign, causing a ball of smoke to erupt next to me with a loud and distinguishable noise. The Hokage nodded at Itachi's explanation and promised to meet with me once the meeting had concluded.
Before I could ask the clone to lead the way, Hiruzen spoke up, "Aoki here was worried about his friends, could he speak with them after the meeting?"
Itachi smiled in response and nodded, agreeing to the Hokage's request.
'Guess I'll be meeting up with Yakumi and Byakko afterwards...' I thought, breaking away from the two as the real Itachi Uchiha ushered the Hokage into the home.
'I wonder where he's taking me...'
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[A/N: And I wonder... if you know... what it means? What it means? To find your dreams come true~
P.S. Writing will be similar to this from now on :)
Powerstone goal for extra chapter: 400
Review goal for extra chapter (Sum of all reviews across platforms):40 ]
