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

CHAPTER TEN: Hide and Seek

Hanako, Shisui and Itachi stopped walking when they reached a clearing in the middle of the woods. That’s where Shisui finally put the dripping girl down. The trees were so high that they even covered part of the sunlight, and Hanako admired some rays that managed their way through the leaves and reached the ground. A soft breeze blew and some dry leaves fell slowly until they reached the ground.

“Let’s do something.” Hanako heard Shisui’s voice and turned to look at him. “Something that will help Hanako dry up,” the girl scoffed and looked away.

“What exactly?” Itachi asked with a raised eyebrow. Shisui brought a hand to his chin and seemed to ponder for a second until he came up with an idea. He looked at the other two children with a playful smirk and wiggled his brows in a funny way.

“Let’s play hide and seek.” Hanako looked at him strangely while Itachi only rolled his eyes. All this for playing a game? The girl furrowed her brows, it actually didn’t sound that bad at all. She smirked.

“Alright, I’m in!” The girl turned to look sideways at Itachi, who didn’t say anything. Shisui sighed at his attitude.

“Come on, Itachi. I know you play all the time with your little brother but you’ve never played with us.” Shisui crossed his arms over his chest.

“I thought children games bored you,” Itachi commented while raising an eyebrow, looking at his friend.

“Just one game,” Shisui smiled sheepishly as he stuck out a finger. Itachi rolled his eyes.

“Fine...” Shisui smiled.

“But no cheating!” Hanako added, looking specifically at Itachi who only nodded.

“Okay! Hanako, you’re ‘It’.” Shisui bumped the girl’s shoulder and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

“What?” Hanako looked around her surroundings, but found no one. She sighed. “Well, it looks like I don’t have a choice.” Since everyone was already hidden, she proceeded to seek. Suddenly, she felt a chakra behind her back. When the brunette turned around she found Shisui staring at her and with his arms crossed and a serious face.

“You didn’t count. Now, that’s cheating.” He pointed at a tree trunk. “To one hundred.” Hanako only rolled her eyes and walked towards the tree to start counting.

“One, two, three…” She kept counting out loud until she reached one hundred. Then, she pushed herself away from the bark with a sheepish grin. “Ready or not, here I come!”

Just immediately, she heard a twig break close to her position and smirked. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on their chakra. For her surprise, there were more than two chakras in the woods. Hanako furrowed her brows. All the chakra she felt belonged to only one person. ‘Clones’? Hanako started walking to where she felt one of the chakras and found Itachi behind one of the trees.

“Found you!” The girl smirked but he just looked at her.

“Maybe,” now it was his turn to smirk as he made a seal with his hands. “Or maybe not.” He disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Hanako clicked her tongue. ‘That cheater!’

* * *

Shisui watched Hanako intently from the top of a tree, she had found one of Itachi’s clones.

“Itachi,” Shisui called him softly, making sure Hanako wouldn’t hear them. She had counted up to fifty already, meaning they were running out of time.

“Would you mind explaining why suddenly you wanted to play this?” Itachi inquired but Shisui only sighed.

“There’s something I want to confirm,” Shisui looked at him with seriousness in his eyes, “but I need your help to do so.” Itachi raised an eyebrow.

“Help you with what?” Shisui neared him cautiously, making sure the brunette wouldn’t hear them.

“I want you to make as many clones as you can and hide them, well hidden, around the woods. She will look for them and I will observe her in the meantime.” Itachi frowned at that.

“Why? If I’m allowed to know…” Shisui smirked, backing away.

“You’ll see.”

Until now, everything was going just as planned. Hanako walked towards another clone, which in part was too well hidden for her to be able to see it. Shisui activated his Sharingan to have a better perception of what was happening, and also know the location of all clones. Hanako walked past the clone, without showing any sign of having noticing it.

“She didn’t see it,” Shisui mumbled to himself with disappointment. Just as he finished his rant, Hanako came to a stop and kneeled down to pick up a pebble. She started to toss it up in the air, and catch it when it fell back into her hand, playing with it. Shisui frowned. What was Hanako doing? She suddenly threw the pebble in the clone’s direction and hit him right in its forehead. The clone disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The eldest Uchiha smirked. “No, she didn’t see it. She sensed it.”

Itachi had made a total of ten clones, from which only remained eight. Shisui noticed that Hanako had walked away and he followed her closely, making sure she couldn’t notice him. She had found another clone.

“I’m getting tired of these clones of yours, you cheater,” Hanako said while her eyes faded into b****y red. Shisui widened his eyes. Hanako’s Sharingan was fully developed, with already three tomoes spread around her pupil. He had known that the girl was a genius in her abilities, but he never expected her to be almost at the level of an adult Uchiha. “With this, I can finally know which the real one is.” Hanako started to jump from branch to branch, looking for the real Itachi. She moved fast. Shisui hid behind a tree trunk just at the moment Hanako passed beside him, but she didn’t see him. The boy smirked, the game was just getting interesting.

* * *

Hanako felt another chakra following her, but decided to ignore it as she kept looking for Itachi. She found him laying against a tree trunk, but just to make sure she pinched his arm with her fingers. The boy disappeared into smoke. Hanako frowned.

“I’m getting tired of these clones of yours, you cheater,” Hanako growled as she activated her Sharingan. “With this, I can finally know which the real one is.”

Hanako started to move quickly among the trees, looking for the black haired boy. She stopped at the top of one trunk and closed her eyes to concentrate on her perceptions. ‘Seven… There are seven chakras around me, and they’re all the same. No wait, there’s one more. Different, though. Larger, warmer, closer…Shisui maybe?’

Hanako turned around but didn’t find anything, she couldn’t feel his chakra anymore. He had disappeared.

* * *

Shisui tried to follow the girl as close as he could without being discovered. She had stopped abruptly, making him almost hit his head against one of the branches trying to stop. The male had managed to hide behind one of the trees in silence and sighed.

“That was close,” Shisui mumbled and perked his head out to look at the brunette. She was focusing hardly on something. From where he was, he couldn’t see any of Itachi’s clones, she was probably looking for them. ‘Maybe she really is…’

Shisui’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a weird sensation in his body. His eyes widened, Hanako had sensed his chakra. He couldn’t let her find him, so he made a seal with his hands and disappeared without leaving any trace behind.

* * *

‘Not bad, not bad at all,’ Itachi thought. Hanako had already found three of his clones. Itachi was hiding really close to her, about barely 75 meters away from her position, but he wouldn’t lose to her. What is it that Shisui wanted to make sure? That question still lingered in his mind.

Right now, she was standing still over one of the tallest branches. She seemed to be trying to concentrate on something, and suddenly, she turned around as if she had noticed something. Hanako looked around her surroundings, as if she were cautiously analyzing them. The girl turned around and looked towards the spot where he was hiding. Itachi frowned, it couldn’t be possible she had noticed him, could it? He was hiding from her in a considerable distance, she couldn’t possibly catch a glimpse of him from where she was. Itachi tried to relax, convincing himself that she hadn’t seen him, but the smirk drawn on her face made him think otherwise.

“There you are,” Hanako muttered. Itachi was able to read her lips, and was finally convinced. He had to get out of there, but when he turned around she was already standing there with a smirk. She was looking down at him with a victorious smirk. Itachi’s eyes widened, she was fast. “You’re not a clone, are you?” Itachi frowned and rolled his eyes. Hanako pinched his cheek and he flinched; she laughed. “Found you!” she chanted victoriously, childishly sticking out her tongue.

“You’re still missing Shisui,” Itachi reminded her and she sighed.

“Right,” Hanako muttered in a low voice and turned around in a second. “Not for long, though,” and she left. In seconds, she had disappeared among the trees.

* * *

Shisui ran as fast as he could to lose Hanako from his tracks. Finally, when he was at a safe place, he relaxed while letting out a sigh. ‘Just as I expected, she’s a sensor type,’ he thought. After a couple of seconds, he heard her snap:

“Found you!” Shisui laughed. All the clones Itachi had made suddenly disappeared. He was found. Shisui’s lips curved up into a knowing smile. He must’ve underestimated her, although he knows Itachi is not one to underestimate other ninjas. He probably went easy on Hanako on purpose. Shisui, on the other hand, wouldn’t let himself get caught so easily, he was having his fun.

Shisui caught a glimpse of the brunette running through the trees very close to him. Luckily, she still hadn’t seen him. The boy jumped far away, trying his best to conceal his chakra. ‘This is getting interesting, really interesting…’

* * *

Hanako ran through the woods, looking for the sixteen-year-old teen. She couldn’t find him anywhere. Hanako sighed and stopped in one of the branches, she looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. Somehow, she had to make him let his guard down, but how? He was probably using his Sharingan as well, and that only made things more complicated.

Hanako opened her eyes, still looking up at sky. She observed the clouds move in their never ending path, what could she do now?

Suddenly, an idea came rushing to her mind.

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

Hanako smirked as she sought among her clothes for a kunai her father always taught her to carry in case of an emergency. When she found it, she closed her eyes once again, trying to concentrate in sensing the chakra around her. She felt a familiar chakra. ‘No, that’s Itachi,’ she thought. ‘Shisui’s chakra is much warmer and larger.’ Hanako kept on looking, until she finally found him around a not very far away. Hanako opened her eyes with her Sharingan activated and started to head his way. She caught up to him in minutes, and close enough she threw her kunai. She was fixed in winning.

* * *

Shisui watched as Hanako was coming closer to him in a quick pace with a kunai in her hand. Suddenly, she threw the weapon towards him, but it hit in the trunk beside him. Shisui looked at the knife. ‘Did she miss?’ he thought to himself, but changed his mind the moment he saw the reflection in the kunai. Those were Hanako’s eyes and her smirk which suddenly vanished. ‘No she didn’t, it’s a Genjutsu.’ Shisui reprimanded himself for not noticing earlier, but quickly undid it.

“Release,” he said, and suddenly felt a familiar presence behind him.

“Found you, Shisui-san.” The Uchiha turned around. There she was, smiling like an innocent girl. “I win,” Hanako said with a victorious smirk, making Shisui look down. The kunai was in her hand, and she was playing with it. She fooled him, she had definitely won.

The game had ended minutes ago, and still Shisui couldn’t stop staring at the girl and her victorious grin. It was just a normal illusion, just a normal, basic, Genjutsu.

“How did you do that?” he finally asked. Hanako looked at him with a smirk, as if she had been expecting his question.

“I caught you at the moment you saw me running towards you. I remembered what Itachi had said about you being able to control people without them realizing it, so I thought it must be something realistic. Like an alternative.”

Shisui couldn’t process it, “But I had the Sharingan! How…?” he continued asking. Hanako was only ten years old, a brat. And she outdid him.

“I can see your chakra levels,” she said calmly. “Even the continuous use of the Sharingan consumes chakra. After you said the jutsu you used with Danzou wore you out, I noticed that your chakra level was lower than usual. The lower your chakra, the slower your perception and your reflexes, am I wrong?” Shisui’s jaw dropped slightly. For a genin, Hanako was very smart and observant. She analyzed her opponent very thoroughly before acting against it. At her age, she was more experienced than regular chuunin. “The illusion was faster than you, enough to distract you for a few seconds. My goal was to slow you down so I could get to you, not to trap you.”

“And what was the kunai for?” Shisui raised an eyebrow when Hanako suddenly chuckled.

“What is this? Twenty Questions?”

“It is if you want it to be. This isn’t an interrogation, you know…” Shisui snapped back at her, using her exact same words.

“That’s my line,” Hanako grinned. “The kunai was a distraction. Actually, I never got to throw it. That’s what I meant by an alternative. Once I had the kunai in my hand, there were two options: throwing it or not throwing it. I didn’t throw it, but with a Genjutsu, I made you believe that I did. That way I made you see something that didn’t happen but could have happened. Not everything that happens in an illusion goes the same way in reality.”

“Shisui,” Itachi finally spoke, after remaining quiet for a while. “She won. Game over,” he said, making Shisui click his tongue. “Now, will you tell me what was it that you wanted to confirm?” Shisui scoffed and looked at him with a smirk.

“You should have realized it by now, Itachi…” Shisui expected to see some kind of emotion in him, but the boy only remained expressionless. ‘He still doesn’t get it, huh?’ Shisui turned to look at Hanako. “The way you looked for Itachi, for his clones, or even me, is not a very common way among genin like you unless they possess some kind of special ability.” Hanako looked back at him confused. “Tell me Hanako, how did you do it?” The girl looked down at the ground, pondering the words to explain somehow what she had done.

“I can feel your chakra,” she finally admitted. “If I couldn’t see you, then I would feel your chakra… But I never thought of it as a special ability…” Itachi widened his eyes, while Shisui only nodded in satisfaction at her answer.

“So, you are a sensor,” he muttered. “It’s actually the first time I see one from the Uchiha Clan.”

“A sensor?” Hanako frowned.

“You should know that everyone’s chakra is different, and as a sensor you should be able to tell that difference,” Shisui explained and Hanako nodded. “Close your eyes,” he instructed and Hanako complied. He then walked to Itachi’s opposite side. “Without opening your eyes, I want you to tell me where I am, and where Itachi is.”

“Easy, you’re behind me and Itachi is in front of me.”

“And how do you know who’s who?”

“You’re talking. Itachi is mute.”

Shisui sighed softly and pointed Itachi to move as silently as he could. The boy moved to stand beside Shisui, without making a sound. “So, you’re just guessing because you heard my voice.”

“Itachi’s now beside you.”

Both Uchiha looked at each other. Now both silent, they moved again to stand on either side of her. Hanako turned her head at both of them, but her eyes were still closed. “Itachi,” she pointed at the boy on her left. “Shisui,” then she pointed at the guy on her right. “How long are we going to do this? I know who’s who.”

“What is the difference between us?” Shisui asked. Hanako opened her eyes to look at him.

“Your chakra is big and active, while Itachi’s is small and calm. Although, it could be due to your age.” She shrugged.

“Any other difference?” Shisui taunted.

“Well, now that I think about it, yeah. There is another difference.” Hanako narrowed her eyes, while looking at the ground. “For some reason, your chakra is warmer than the average. I’ve never felt a chakra this warm before.” She activated her Sharingan and looked at him intently... “And, if I compare it to mine or to Itachi’s, it has a different color. It’s like an aqua green... Maybe it has something to do. You have an interesting chakra, Shisui.”

“Wow, I’m flattered,” Shisui said with a smile. “That difference you find in everyone’s chakra is what makes them unique, that’s their chakra signature.”

“Like a fingerprint?” Hanako inquired.

“Some ninjas are born, as you may say, more sensitive than others. In a certain degree, everyone can feel chakra, but only when it’s massive. For example, in a battle between two powerful shinobi, they can feel the chakra surrounding the two people ready to fight. But they feel it just like a great tension in the air. When someone is sensitive enough, who is called a sensor, they just don’t feel the chakra in the air. They feel it like a great cloud of smoke so dense that’s almost asphyxiating. They can also feel it, flowing through each of the shinobi’s bodies. And they can also sense it from a great distance. On how well developed the sensor becomes, depends on how sensitive they are. But most of them realize their sensitivity in their early years as a ninja. Most do as genin when they’re twelve, maybe thirteen years old. Hanako, you found it when you were ten or even younger, which means you’re pretty sensitive. If you work on developing your sensor abilities from now, you can get to a point where you can even use it in battle.”

“You sure I can do that?” she asked as she watched her hands. “I thought it was something useful only when tracking other people.”

“Don’t be so negative when you haven’t even tried it,” Shisui smiled at her. “You’re a sensor type Hanako, I’m sure you can do it.” Hanako smiled back at him and nodded. “However, what Itachi said it’s really true. You’re the first sensor I’ve seen in the Uchiha. It’s certainly rare, but I don’t think you’re the only one,” he added. “You must’ve inherited it from somewhere. A gene like that doesn’t mutate out of the blue.”

“Who else could be a sensor without us knowing it?” Itachi inquired.

“I don’t know.” Shisui shrugged. “We’ll have to ask your father. Fugaku-san has information on every member of the clan. If there’s another sensor like Hanako, he should know it.”

“You’re talking as if I weren’t here.” The two boys heard the girl and turned to look back at her. “Probably the funeral should’ve ended by now. Shouldn’t we go back?”

“Yes. Come on, let’s go.” They started walking back to the village.