An Uchiha's True Worth

Family Reunion

Kakashi held the boy on his back as he opened the door and made sure the coast was clear. He sighed. He hated to do it, but he had knocked the boy unconscious. He didn’t want the boy to witness any fighting that may occur if they were attacked on their way back to his village. He made it all the way to the back entrance that led outside the boundaries before he saw the shadows of their pursuers. He picked up his pace, cursing the fact that there were no trees for him to jump into so that he could stay out of sight. The land was barren from this point on. He had no doubt that this was intentional. The village leader and his ancestors controlled everything so that their enemies would suffer. It had been their hope that the clan would die out from hunger or other hardships. Fortunately, the clan had created their own ways of survival and had flourished. There were remnants of fields that once overflowed with crops. But the land had been ravaged so that nothing could grow there. Pushing the clan further away from the village. Kakashi heart ached. Their clan was treated the same as their cousins in the Leaf Village. And look what that had led to. This clan was lucky not to have their own Itachi Uchiha. They had no ninja to speak of. The ones that pursued them were definitely hired from another nation. Though with as poor as this village seemed to be, he couldn’t fathom how they were being paid. There were many different currencies than Ryu. He shuddered to think. He blocked an incoming shuriken with his kunai. They were gaining on them. There were four of them. With his burden, he would be able to take down two at one time. But that would leave him open to attack by the last two. His best bet would be to get to the village. He hoped that his probable allies were keeping watch as he got closer to the village. His heart began to pound, he could see the entrance to the village. Suddenly he felt a gust of wind and a chill. The sounds of the pursuing ninja ceased all at once. Only after he crossed into the village, did he dare to turn around. He got a blast of dust in his face as the wind changed. Where the ninja had once been, only articles of their clothing and their weapons remained. When he faced forward again, he found a group of men watching him. He presented them with the boy. A man came forward. For a second, Kakashi thought he was seeing Shinpi. “Kakashi Hatake.” He said as he bowed. “It’s an honor to meet someone of your skill. Thank you for protecting my son.” He took his son from Kakashi and handed the boy to a woman that stood behind him. She held him close sobbing before turning and exiting the throng. Kakashi bowed. “Is Shinpi alright?” The man smiled. “She is fine. Come, we have much to discuss. Then we will take you to her. She will need support. And from you’re obvious concern for her, that falls to you. Don’t expect that responsibility to be an easy one.” With that he led Kakashi to his home. The others dispersed and went about their business. Kakashi was led inside. He saw the sleeping form of the boy on the floor in the corner. The man motioned for Kakashi to make himself comfortable. The woman brought the men a kettle of tea before going to her son’s side to check on him.

The man poured Kakashi a cup of tea before himself. “My name is Akio. I am the leader of my clan.” Kakashi bowed. “You called her Shinpi.” He said then and startling chuckling. “How appropriate.” He sighed and closed his eyes. Kakashi waited. “I am Shinpi’s older brother.” Kakashi’s eyes widened. So the boy was Shinpi’s nephew. Almost as though he knew what Kakashi was going to ask, he said, “My son knows all about his aunt. He has a bad habit of sneaking around and eavesdropping on conversations between all the adults. He knows a lot more than I wish he did.” “Shinpi is a very accomplished ninja in my village.” He tells him. Akio smiled. “I’m not surprised. When we learned that she had been taken in by the Uchiha of your village, we were relieved.” “She was found next to the body of a dead woman. It was assumed that she was the mother.” Akio nodded. “She was pursued by our enemies. My sister was to be married to the village leaders youngest son. My sister was against it. This would have only given the village leader more power over us. And my sister would have been used as a weapon.” Kakashi nodded. “How many pursued her?” Akio thought for a moment. “If I remember correctly, it was four.” Kakashi nodded. “There was only one set of clothing found near the body. That means your sister took out three before she was overtaken. Her wounds were gruesome.” He saw Akio’s eyes glisten. He continued. “Shinpi was found under blood soaked blankets in a basket. The remains of the clothing were at the foot of her basket.” Akio’s eyes widened. “How is that possible? Our people never develop our kekkai genkai until much later.” Kakashi had no answer for him. Akio sighed. “I promised I would take you to see Shinpi.” He said as he stood up. Kakashi nodded and got to his feet as well. Akio led him outside and they began to walk toward the other end of town. “Shinpi knows nothing about what’s going on. We have kept her isolated using another jutsu. Similar to the sharingan. She believes she is still in the inn with you.That is why it is important for you to be there when she wakes up.”