A Lethal Weapon (Naruto) [ALW Series Book One]

CHAPTER NINE: Itachi and Shisui

The sound of shattering ceramics was the only thing that could be heard in the almost silent room. Fugaku didn’t know how to feel, he didn’t know what to do. Everything happened all of a sudden, and in his state of shock he felt pretty much desolated.

“Can I ask something of you?”

“What is it?”

“If something ever happened to me, would you protect Hanako for me?”

He didn’t even notice the river of tears that was coming out of his eyes. He didn’t want to believe it, but seeing the dull expression that the little girl held on her face, how much effort she made not to cry...he knew it had to be true. He just couldn’t bear the pain.

He was standing alone in the middle of the Uchiha secret room. The room where all of the clan meetings were held. He had broken a lot of ceramic plates used to hold the fire and light up the hall, but he would replace them later. Right now he only needed something to take out all his sadness and rage on.

Yusuke had spoken to him as if he knew what was going to happen, at least he suspected it. Was this Danzou’s doing? Did the rest of the elders know what was going on?

He broke another plate. It was the last one holding the bit of fire that still remained. Now, he was left in darkness. He let himself fall on his knees and started sobbing. He did not only lose one of his clan members as a leader, but he also lost his best friend. He failed to protect him. How did he even expect to protect all of them? The Uchiha were in danger, and he knew it. He just couldn’t do anything about it. Or at least, he didn’t know what to do.

“Are you all right, Father?” Fugaku was so focused in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the moment when his eldest son came into the room.

“I’m fine,” he replied curtly. He wouldn’t let his son see him in such a disgraceful state. Fugaku had shown Itachi this secret room hidden under the seventh tatami of the shrine when he first awoke his Sharingan. He had thought that he was ready to know the real secrets of the Uchiha Clan, and he still believed that it was the right choice.

Itachi came closer to his father and picked up a torch that fell from one of the broken ceramic plates. He made a fire jutsu with little chakra to light it. When the room was lit up to at least see the silhouette of his progenitor, he walked up to him and knelt in front of him to lower to his level, still holding the burning torch. “You’re not fine, you were crying,” he noted.

Fugaku looked up at him and that’s when Itachi noticed the dry tears that stained his cheeks and his eyes red from the crying. Just how long had his father been here? He hadn’t come back home after he told him that Hanako needed to tell him something important. He had thought that after Fugaku left, he would come back later and have dinner with them like he normally would, but instead he was here in the middle of the night, alone, hiding in the Uchiha shrine and crying his eyes dry. What had Hanako told him that affected him this much?

“Dad, tell me what happened.” Itachi didn’t call him ‘dad’ regularly. Only when the situation called for it. And right now, he saw it much more adept now that calling him ‘father’, which sounded much colder—and what his father really needed was warming up.

“He’s dead,” was all Fugaku said. He was still in shock and he still couldn’t believe for much that he tried. Itachi could notice it, although he didn’t know just who his father was talking about. “My best friend, Hanako’s father... He’s dead.”

* * *

“What can I help you with, sweetie?” The miss behind the counter looked at Itachi with a smile, small creases forming around her eyes.

“Two orders of Mitarashi Dango, please.”

“Coming right up!”

Itachi looked down at his laced fingers. “Did you hear about Hanako’s father?” Itachi didn’t say anything as Izumi leaned right beside him on the counter. “My mother was talking about it this morning during breakfast, she said he died in a mission.” Izumi sighed. “Hana-chan must be devastated…”

Itachi looked behind the counter as the old lady carefully poured the honey colored sauce over the small sweet rice dumplings. “She probably is…” He remembered the look on Hanako’s face when he opened the door of his house and she was there, in shock, as if she still didn’t digest what had happened. Itachi frowned at what Izumi had said, “He died in a mission, you say?”

“Yeah…” Izumi looked at him strangely. “That’s what my mother said, anyways.”

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah…” Hanako smiled slightly. “Just a tough mission, nothing serious to worry about.”

Itachi frowned. Of course, she was not okay. She was all covered in dirt; and hurt. She had been in that mission with her father, she had seen him die. How was she able to talk to him as if nothing had happened? She had come to tell his father that her own was dead. Of course, that wasn’t a message Itachi could deliver on her behalf, she had to do it herself.

The pain in her expression, the dullness in her eyes. Now he understood what had happened, and he felt terrible for not knowing it earlier.

“I should talk to her,” Izumi said. Itachi came back to reality when the miss put his order in front of him and he paid for the dango—with a thankful smile. Izumi was still talking, but Itachi wasn’t paying attention to her. “I mean, I know what it’s like to not have a father. I was pretty young when he died, so I don’t remember much about him though. Besides, I haven’t seen Hanako in years, have you?”

Itachi walked out of the store, carrying his bag of dango carefully in his hand. Izumi followed quickly behind.

“Itachi-kun?” Itachi looked at her. “Have you heard anything about Hana-chan?”

“She came to my house two days ago, looking for my father.”

“And how was she?” Izumi’s eyes lit up, but Itachi only looked at the ground.

“Not okay,” he said. He continued walking, with a faster pace.

Izumi halted on her steps, quickly understanding his actions. Itachi didn’t speak, he acted. He was too kind to tell someone he wanted to be left alone, therefore she learned to translate his body language. Itachi had grown up to be a loner, and she understood that. He appreciated from time to time her concern, but she knew that he would spend most of his time by himself—reading books in the library or training— than with company.

“Heading somewhere?” Itachi stopped in his tracks when a voice spoke to him right from above. He was walking in the middle of the forest.

“Shisui-san?” he asked, looking up at one particular tree.

“Bingo!” The Uchiha landed in front of him, holding a kunai in his hand.

“You’re back,” Itachi muttered.

“Stating the obvious now? Really, there’s nothing you need to say to me?” Itachi looked at the ground while holding his bag tightly.

“Not really…” Shisui chuckled, patting Itachi’s head.

“That was cute.” He flipped the kunai he had on his fingers, and nailed it on the tree behind him. “So, do you want to train?”

Itachi sighed, “Not really.”

Shisui stopped what he was doing to look at Itachi with widened eyes. “Come again?” Itachi just sat beside a tree trunk, laying his back against the bark. He rummaged through his dango, and shoved a dumpling into his mouth. He enjoyed its sweet flavor with closed eyes for a moment before he swallowed. “I’m just not in the mood right now.” He ate another one.

“Not in the mood?” Shisui scoffed. “So, if the enemy attacked right now, would you tell him you’re not in the mood?”

“Maybe, would that stop him?” Itachi shoved the last dango on the stick into his mouth.

“Probably more like dazzle him,” Shisui shook his head.

“Good enough,” Itachi shrugged, taking another bite of his dango. “Shisui-san…do you know a girl named Hanako?”

“From the clan?” Shisui looked at him. Itachi nodded. “If it’s Hanako Uchiha you’re talking about, then yes. The elders talk about her all the time. Apparently, she’s a troublemaker,” he said. “A talented troublemaker, though.”

“Talented?”

“Yeah, she got first place in the Rookie Jutsu Demonstration last year, she won the platinum kunai. All she did was activate her Sharingan, apparently the judges loved it.” Shisui pondered it for a minute. “No wait, scratch talented. She’s a clever troublemaker… She knows what to do and when to do it.”

Itachi chuckled. “How do you know she didn’t compel the judges to give her the kunai?”

Shisui looked at him with a terrified look in his face. “That would make her clever and talented.” Shisui shook his head, trying to free his mind from those thoughts. “Anyway, why the interest in the girl all of a sudden? You don’t seem like the type to develop an interest. Especially not in girls, if you know what I mean…” Itachi glared at him for a moment before focusing back on his dumplings. He had already eaten two sticks, and was now starting the third.

“Her father died a couple of days ago, and I’m kind of worried about her…”

“Wait, WHAT?! Yusuke-san is dead?!” Shisui looked at him bewildered. “I thought you said you had nothing important to tell me!” Shisui covered his face with his hands. “Oh my… Hikari…” The eldest Uchiha turned away, ready to leave. “I’m sorry, Itachi. I have to go, see you some other time, okay?”

“The funeral is tomorrow morning, first hour.”

Shisui nodded. “Thanks, I’ll be there.”

Itachi sighed as he watched his friend go. Shisui was his only friend, his only real friend. Perhaps he was the only person he ever knew that could understand his feelings, who thought the same way he did. But his interest circled now around a girl his age. His father was constantly telling him to find friends, that loners didn’t grow as much as those socially active. Maybe, meeting a girl like Hanako was what he needed. A troublemaker, like Shisui referred to her. He wanted to know, how someone like her would think. Someone who wasn’t afraid to face some bullies twice her age from the Academy, someone who could easily push away her feelings to smile at him and pretend that nothing had happened, when in reality she had just witnessed a horrible scene and her wounds were still there to remind her. He wanted to know more about her, Hanako Uchiha.

Without noticing, he had finished the third stick.

Itachi suddenly stood up and walked towards the lake. He still had one more dango stick left, and was saving it for later. When he reached his destination, he stood on the hill and looked down at the dock. There was someone there. Someone who was furiously throwing stones at the water. Someone who suddenly screamed loudly and fell on her knees. Hanako Uchiha.

The girl noticed his presence right away, but pretended she didn’t. Itachi walked towards her. “What are you doing here?” she asked lowly when he was close enough, not looking at him.

“I come here a lot,” he answered. Itachi’s gaze softened. Hanako was healed now, at least physically, but emotionally she was still wrecked. Without saying anything, he sat beside her and offered her his last dango stick.

Hanako observed it but looked away. “I’m not hungry,” she said. Itachi put it down, close to where her hand lay.

“Eat it later, then.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Eat it.”

“No.”

Itachi sighed. “When was the last time you ate?” Hanako only shrugged, looking down at the lake.

“Hanako, you can’t just stop eating.”

“Try me.”

Itachi took the dango, pulled it out of its bag and put right in front of Hanako’s face. The girl looked away, but her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl. She had gone days without food in her system, and it hurt badly. She gasped in pain, grabbing her stomach. Itachi looked at her with worry and forced the food into her mouth. Hanako pushed him away.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she turned her back to him. “Go away,” she muttered softly. Her stomach was still growling loudly. “I should starve to death. I should’ve died with my father. But I am here, alive, and he is not…”

“Hanako…” Itachi muttered gravely. “He wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself.” Hanako’s stomach growled again. “Here,” he offered the dango to her once again. Hanako looked back at him and this time she accepted it. She took a bite of it and smiled when the flavor melted in her mouth.

“This is good, where did you buy it?” she asked.

“I can buy you more if you want to,” he offered. Hanako looked at him.

“I can buy it myself, I just asked you where.”

Itachi smiled, “I am not telling you.” The girl frowned.

“Why?”

“You’ll have to let my treat you if you want to know.” Itachi looked back at the lake. His smile was still plastered on his face. Hanako couldn’t stop staring, and when she went to take another bite of her dumplings, she realized she had already eaten all of them. She clicked her tongue and threw the bamboo skewer away. She was still hungry and tempted to accept his offer.

“Why are you doing this?” she looked away.

“Isn’t that what friends do?” he asked, looking at her sideways. Hanako looked back at him, obviously surprised.

“Friends?”

Itachi smiled and stood up, walking away from the lake. “Let’s go.” Hanako watched his back, still in shock. Was he assuming they were friends? Hanako scoffed and looked at the lake. ‘Maybe it isn’t so bad…’

“Are you coming or what?” Itachi asked from the top of the hill. Hanako looked up at him and blushed slightly. He was smiling down at her.

“Sure, why not…” she muttered lowly before following him.

* * *

The day of the funeral came and all the family and clan members dressed in black for the mourning. All the Uchiha headed to the Naka Shrine, place where the funeral would take place and where Obito’s funeral was also set. The place was crowded and Hanako suddenly lost track of her family. She didn’t want to be there in the first place. It all just happened too fast and she wasn’t ready to handle it. The young Uchiha broke through the crowd and found her way outside, seeking for fresh air and a peaceful place for meditation.

Hanako lay over a house rooftop, relaxing while she watched the clouds follow their own path in the sky.

“I don’t think you should be missing the funeral,” she heard a young boy’s voice, who she recognized as Itachi when he sat by her side.

“I don’t need to remind myself of his death,” she replied coldly. “And you should be there too.”

“I don’t like funerals. When I have the chance, I leave without people noticing,” he simply shrugged, looking at her with analytical eyes. “I also saw you sneaking out, and I followed you.”

“Heh, I should have guessed so…” she commented sarcastically. After that, they remained silent for a while.

“I’m sorry...about your father...” Itachi muttered after the long pause.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hanako narrowed her eyes. “Sooner or later it was bound to happen. Although I would’ve preferred it to be later...” she looked up sadly at the slowly moving clouds.

“Losses are part of a shinobi’s daily life. That’s why we must learn from them, so we’re able to protect those who are still with us,” Itachi said.

“But I’m not strong enough,” the girl mumbled unconsciously. “I don’t want to go through this again.”

“None of us do,” Itachi looked at her with calm eyes.

Hanako remained silent without exactly knowing what to say. She turned to look at Itachi sideways but he was as calm as ever, staring ahead.

“May I know what are you guys doing here?” A voice startled Hanako and Itachi, making them turn to find its owner. He was a tall guy, a few years older than them, and with black hair just like most of the members of the clan.

“Shisui-san...” Itachi mumbled. Hanako looked at her companion with a raised an eyebrow. Did they know each other?

“Shisui…” She looked over her shoulder, acknowledging the guy behind them. Shisui came closer.

“Why aren’t you at the funeral?” he asked again as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Like I said, I just didn’t feel like going in and remind myself that my father’s gone.” Hanako looked away, avoiding his glance. “What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be comforting my sister or something?”

Shortly after, she felt a hand on the top of her head and turned to look back at Shisui, a bit surprised by his action. He smiled down at her gently. “I comforted her yesterday,” he said. “I don’t think she would mind if I comforted you today.”

Hanako cursed herself when she felt her eyes get watery again. ’Not again, I thought I was done with the crying…’ she closed her eyes tightly, preventing the tears from falling. “I don’t need you to comfort me.” A small tear fell all the way across the girl’s cheek but she quickly wiped it out. Shisui noticed.

“You’re such a liar.” He pinched her cheek, making Hanako smile softly at him. Shisui then looked at Itachi, who was staring at Hanako. The elder Uchiha smirked. “It’s a weird sight, the two of you together…” Shisui’s hand fell to his side.

“Excuse me?” The girl glanced at him.

“Itachi asked about you yesterday,” he seemed a bit surprised about the fact. “Never thought it was relevant until, well now,” he commented with a chuckle, as if he had just solved a puzzle. He looked at Itachi with gleaming playful eyes. “Now I understand why you asked so much about her… Are you finally having a crush on someone?” Shisui asked looking at Itachi.

“Shisui-san!” Itachi looked at his friend with a frown and daring eyes.

Hanako chuckled, shaking her head. Both boys turned to look at her. “It’s okay, I get that lot when I’m with Takeshi. We were just talking,” she said.

“Right,” Shisui muttered, not sounding convinced. “You still hang out with him? When is he going to confess, anyway?” Itachi looked at the brunette with curiosity.

“Stop, Shisui, you know we’re just friends.”

“Just friends, yeah right.” Hanako glared at him.

“When are you going to confess to Nee-chan?” Shisui glared back.

“It’s not like that!”

“What are you, just friends? I’m not an idiot.” Hanako turned to look at Itachi. “Tell him he’s an i***t for thinking I’m an idiot.”

“Why would I do that?” he asked.

“Isn’t that what friends do?” she smirked at him. Itachi widened his eyes.

“Don’t listen to her, Itachi, she’s pretty good at playing games.” Hanako looked at him with an innocent smile.

“Do you want to play?” she asked, blinking a few times.

Shisui scoffed. “You’re such a troublemaker.”

“Troublemaker?” Hanako narrowed her eyes. “Tsk, idiot.” She looked back at the front.

“So… the ceremony has just begun, but I guess neither of you is up for another of Fugaku’s speeches. Are you?” Itachi and Hanako looked at him. Itachi just flushed a little before looking at the ground like a small puppy feeling guilty after being caught while doing what he’s not supposed to. Hanako, in contrariwise, just looked at him seriously before rolling her eyes and answering his question with another question.

“Are you?”

Shisui smiled at her comeback. “Not really.” Hanako smirked and shook her head. “Are you guys on the mood for a walk then?”

“In the woods?” Hanako’s eyes lit up.

Shisui looked at her with a smile, “Sure, why not?”

The fresh air of the woods never failed to clear Hanako’s mind. For once in that troubled week, the girl finally felt calm and relaxed. “I love the woods,” she suddenly commented, earning the attention of the other two boys walking along with her. “It’s like the only place where I can put my mind blank.”

“I love the scent of pine trees, it’s refreshing. Smells kind of like ‘new’.” Shisui added. Hanako looked at him strangely.

“How come a tree smells like ‘new’?” she raised an eyebrow. “The taller the older, that’s what my father taught me.” Hanako suddenly caught her breath at the mention of her father.

“Actually, the age of a tree is measured by the amount of rings in their trunk,” said Itachi.

“Wouldn’t you need to kill the tree to know how old is it, then?” Shisui asked the other boy.

“Naturally.”

“I think that’s enough,” Hanako gulped. She had started trembling at the mention of the word ‘kill’. Even the woods couldn’t heal her from her pain, it seemed.

A sudden presence made goosebumps appear along her arms. It was so intense, she stopped breathing for a second. Shisui seemed to notice as well as he stood behind the girl with his back turned to her —as if trying to hide her from something. An old man dressed in a brown tunic, walking with the help of a cane, approached them slowly. He was being accompanied by two masked Anbu.

“Danzou-sama...” Hanako heard Shisui mumble. She turned around, hiding behind Shisui’s back, but looking straight to where the man was standing. Itachi moved to stand right beside his friend.

“How lucky of me, running into whom I wanted to see...” Hanako felt as if time had stopped around them. “You spared me the task of finding you.” She could notice a small smirk forming on the man’s face.

“Us?” Itachi replied with a raised eyebrow. Hanako felt something moving next to her arm and it suddenly caught her hand. She looked down and noticed Itachi’s hand holding hers. “Go home.” She could hear him mumble next to her ear. Hanako nodded softly, taking a few steps backwards until her back hit something. Hanako caught her breath and looked around. She saw the coat of one of the Anbu that previously stood beside Danzou. She gulped and turned back to look at the elder.

“I’m afraid she’s not going anywhere,” Danzou said as he turned his back to the kids and started walking away. “I want to talk to you three. Now, follow me.” They did as he say, under the constant watch of the two Anbu guardians.

Danzou guided them to the Anbu headquarters, a building located at the outskirts of the village. After going through a series of stairs, they stopped behind the man they were following. The elder turned around and looked intently at the three Uchiha. His seriousness made Hanako feel uncomfortable. Each side of them was guarded by an Anbu, who was facing them. They moved, forming a ring around them. Hanako and the others stood in the middle of the intersection of four different bridges in a straight angle. Each of the bridges had red railings that extended throughout their length. If Hanako looked up, she could notice pillars that were holding the underground roof. If she looked down, she could only notice the darkness of a never ending abyss. The place smelled like rust.

Hanako searched unconsciously for Itachi’s hand. The feeling of it holding hers was strangely comforting, and she felt like she needed it. Itachi reacted immediately to his hand being held captive by the brunette and he looked at her in confusion. Hanako was scared of this man, but why? He squeezed back her hand to get her attention. Hanako looked at him. Itachi smiled reassuringly at her, and the girl smiled back slightly before looking at the ground—trying to hide her blushed face with her cascading hair.

“I brought you here because I think highly of you, and I think you could do much better under my guidance. In other words—”

“You want us to join the Foundation,” Shisui interrupted him, earning a glare from the elder. Hanako looked up when she heard Shisui’s voice. He sounded angry.

“The Foundation?” she asked curiously earning the attention of the elder. She could notice the devious smirk on his face.

“I personally command my own Anbu squad. However, the missions we take are a little bit different from normal ones and they are accomplished with the sole purpose of the village’s benefit. Plus, they are to remain secret.” Danzou explained, but that only made the girl more confused.

“And how are your Anbu different from the Hokage’s?” she asked.

“We work under the shadows, we lack emotion and we are specially trained for these kind of missions. These ninja know what the real meaning of a Shinobi is,” replied one of the Anbu around them.

Hanako remained silent as she watched the man on the brown tunic walk closer to her. “You… Hanako Uchiha, after the death of your father, what are you planning to do?” Hanako was stunned.

“I can’t...” She mumbled. She shook her head furiously, looking at the ground. Her hold tightened around Itachi’s hand. The boy had to hold his breath at the feeling of her nails digging into his skin.

“Train once in a while along with my subordinates. I want to see how well you develop your abilities,” was all Danzou said, to Hanako’s relief. He now turned to Itachi and he cautiously neared him. “I heard that you will be doing the Chuunin Exam very soon. I have a feeling that this year, they will be interesting to watch.” Then, he finally headed to Shisui. “As for you,” Hanako looked sideways at the elder, releasing her hold on Itachi’s hand. The boy sighed as he rubbed his harmed limb. The girl could notice that Shisui and Danzou were eyeing each other too much and she could feel a strange vibe coming from both of them. “You may leave. Do not say anything from this place or else you’ll have to assume the consequences.” Danzou announced and walked away from them. The Anbu escorted the Uchiha towards the exit and disappeared. Hanako observed the other two boys, waiting for some kind of explanation.

“Come on, let’s go to the lake. I’ll explain everything you want to know, there.” The older Uchiha said, walking away from the building. Itachi and Hanako followed him. After a couple of minutes, they reached the lake and the girl sat at the edge of the dock, observing her own reflection on the water. There were other two reflections next to it. One was Itachi and the other one was Shisui. They were both looking at her through their reflections. Hanako sighed and turned back to look at them.

“You’re still too young to understand what’s going on…” Shisui said, looking at both kids with pity. Hanako frowned and looked away.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said, moving her eyes to look at him again sideways. “I’m not a little girl that needs your pity. And I don’t want it, either.” Itachi sighed. “I will never understand if you don’t tell me, I thought that Danzou was about to say something important, or did he just want to chat for a while?” she inquired raising an eyebrow. “If that’s the case, then why did he make us go all the way down there?!” she complained, standing up. Hanako felt so small all of a sudden. Even though she was standing, Itachi was still a few inches taller than her and Shisui almost a feet.

“Just one word,” Shisui sighed. “Genjutsu.” Hanako’s eyes widened.

“You caught him in a Genjutsu? But...when?” The Uchiha girl thought about all of the present movements and reactions during the chatting. Nothing was out of normal, could it have been...?

“It’s impossible for you to have noticed. That’s Shisui’s ability,” Itachi started explaining. “He can trap anyone in a Genjutsu without them noticing. He can even control people that way.” ‘Amazing…’ that was the only thing she could think about. She had never observed Shisui in action, and had no idea of his abilities.

“I manipulated Danzou to chat about trivial things instead of forcing us to join the Root,” Shisui said, closing his eyes for a moment. “However, I can’t do it again for a while.”

“Does that ability wear you out too much?” she asked.

“Not that much...” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “But it’s not something I can do whenever I want to.” Hanako stared at him silently. “Like I said, it will be awhile before I can use it again.”

“Shisui...” The girl muttered, looking back at the water.

“Hm?” He raised an eyebrow looking at her.

“How old are you?” He smirked and looked away at the lake.

“I think I’m a little bit too old for you.” Hanako scoffed and threw at him a small pebble she found on one side of the dock, but he dodged it easily. “I’m sixteen,” he chuckled.

“How do you know Danzou?” Shisui instantly became serious and a frown formed on his face.

“I pass on that question,” Hanako nodded with a sigh, turning back to the lake.

“Why do you think Danzou wanted us to join Root?”

“What is this? Twenty Questions?” Shisui inquired.

“It is if you want it to be,” Hanako snapped at him. “This isn’t an interrogation, you know…”

“So young and so snappy...” he said with a smirk on his face. “Definitely, Hikari’s baby sister.” Hanako glared at him fiercely.

“I’m not a baby!”

Itachi just remained silent, watching the scene with interest. “I’d like to see you grown up.” Shisui chuckled, staring at the forest behind the body of water. “But if you really want to know, I’ll tell you. Like he said, Danzou trains ninja without feelings to accomplish missions that normal ninja wouldn’t be capable of.” Hanako nodded softly. “But they are really harsh missions.” His look tensed. “Missions in which the risk is so high that you even have to sacrifice your own comrades, or even yourself, for the sake of the village. They force you to kill your loved ones...” His glare softened. “They train you since childhood, making you believe you’re all a big family; but in the end, it’s all meant to strengthen these bonds and then severe those in the blink of an eye—by making you kill each other. That way, he manages to suppress those feelings.” Shisui was lost in thought until Itachi’s voice brought him back to reality.

“It sounds awful,” he commented.

“It is awful.” Shisui pressed his lips. “But it doesn’t matter, just be careful with him.” He walked to the edge of the dock. “Come on, let’s do something.” He placed one of his feet on the surface of the water and then the other without much thought. ’He’s standing on the surface?!’ Hanako thought with surprise. He then started walking until he reached the center of the lake and turned to look back at them, with a raised eyebrow. “What are you guys waiting for?”

Itachi jumped and landed a few feet away from Shisui, managing to balance himself on the water. Hanako’s eyes widened, was he able to do it too?!

“Why don’t you come?” Itachi asked, looking back at her. Hanako scoffed.

“Unlike you, I’m not that good and I still don’t know how to walk on water…” The girl looked away in embarrassment when she heard Shisui’s chuckle.

“I can’t see what Danzou wants from a kid that doesn’t even know how to use her chakra properly,” he teased, making Hanako clench her fists.

“Shut up...” Shisui chuckled again.

“Just concentrate your chakra on the soles of your feet,” Itachi said. “It’s easy.” Hanako considered what he said and tried to focus as much chakra as she could, but she still couldn’t find a balance.

“Easier said than done...” she mumbled.

Somehow, she had managed to stand on the surface; but at the moment she tried to walk she suddenly fell in the water. An arm pulled her out and held her as she coughed out all the water that got into her lungs.

“Well, at least you tried.” Shisui chuckled again. Hanako looked up with a glare to find him holding her, right at the spot where she fell. He was perfectly balanced on the surface and looking at her with a smirk. How did he do it?!

“It’s normal to fail on the first try,” Itachi said with a soft smile. Hanako turned to him, he was looking at her with genuine interest and that made her blush.

“I bet you didn’t fail on your first try...” She frowned, looking away from him. She also bet he must have been laughing his guts out on the inside.