Chapter 5
1658 Words
Itachi and Sasuke followed their father to the meeting room in their house. There Fugaku sat, gesturing his children to sit before him.
"You are my son, indeed." Fugaku chuckled. "Only half a year after raising your status to Chuunin, you've come this far." Itachi looked at his father with no expression in his face. Lately, Fugaku had been focusing too much in his improvements, and he still expected even more. "I heard you can take someone for tomorrow's special mission. I've decided to come along." Itachi widened his eyes. He even knew that?
Itachi looked at his little brother from the tip of his eyes when he felt him flinch. "If this mission succeeds, Itachi, your enrollment into Anbu will almost be guaranteed." Itachi looked at his father at the moment Fugaku activated his Sharingan. "Do you understand?"
"I already decided I wanted Shisui to come. You don't have to worry so much. Besides..." Itachi looked at Sasuke with a smile, encouraging him to speak.
Sasuke nodded slightly. "Um... Dad... Tomorrow is my–"
"Tomorrow's mission is not only for you, but also a very important mission for the Uchiha Clan." Fugaku interrupted him. Sasuke looked at the floor with a saddened expression.
"I guess I'll refuse tomorrow's mission after all..." Itachi suddenly said, making Fugaku and Sasuke look at him with wide and almost terrified eyes.
"What are you saying?! Have you lost your mind?!" Fugaku snapped at him. "You should know how important tomorrow is!"
"You're right. Tomorrow is Sasuke's Academy Entrance Ceremony, and I have to go." Itachi smirked when his father's eyes widened in surprise. He had clearly forgotten about it. "It's customary for relatives to go. You received a notification about that as well, didn't you, Father?"
Fugaku sighed tiredly and stood up. "I understand. I'll go to the Academy."
Without anything else to say, his father left the room. His two sons followed after him, Itachi turned to look at Sasuke while they were walking in the hallway, "Make sure to put ice on your left ankle."
"Okay..." Sasuke was still a bit down, but Itachi hoped he would still have the same excitement for tomorrow.
* * *
Night had fallen when Itachi sneaked out of his house and went to the waterfalls at the border of the compound with the vast forest of the Land of Fire. There, he saw Shisui sitting at the edge of the cliff. He was staring into nothingness, probably lost in his thoughts.
"Shisui..."
The older Uchiha turned to him. He smiled softly upon recognizing him, "Hey there, Itachi..." Shisui focused back on the flowing water of the river. "I'm sorry, I guess I had too much in my mind. Is there anything you need?"
Itachi sat next to him. "I have an important mission tomorrow, and I was wondering if you could come with me. I know you just came back from a mission, but I really need your help."
Shisui smiled at the boy. He liked it when Itachi asked for help, he liked it when he didn't shoulder everything by himself and depended on others. "Of course, anything for you."
Itachi smiled slightly.
"What's the mission?"
"I'll give you the details before we leave in the morning, but for now it's just an escort. We have to take the daughter of the Feudal Lord to the Water Country." Shisui nodded.
The sky was clear that night, and Shisui smiled when he found the first star. "You know, Itachi. I think of you as my little brother." He chuckled softly when he felt Itachi's gaze on him. "Hikari said that there shouldn't be any secrets within a brotherly bond. I mean, she and Hanako share everything," he muttered while scratching the back of his neck. "My point is," he cleared his voice, "if there's anything bothering you—maybe your father, or the clan in general—you know you can always tell me. Whenever. I'm here for you."
Itachi stared at the water flowing before answering. "Before Hanako and you, I really didn't have any friends." Shisui observed him amazed. "I thought they would slow me down in my way to get to the top. I wanted to become the most powerful man in the entire world so that I could stop all conflict. I hate seeing people fight over nothing, so I want to be the most powerful man in the world so that I can resolve all conflicts through dialogue, without having to hurt anyone. But you, Hanako, Sasuke, you all give me a reason to fight. I can't stand if something ever happens to you. I'm afraid that if I lose any of you, I might lose myself too. More than anything, I want to be strong so that I can protect all of you."
Shisui stared at the stars appearing in slight twinkles. "We are all afraid of that aren't we?" He remembered Hanako confessing that she didn't feel the same after seeing her father die. "Hanako lost her father. I remember how lively she was in the Academy, I remember she smiled a lot. But when Yusuke died, she changed. She wasn't so happy anymore, she felt lonely..." His gaze was lost in the continuous flaring of a star. "But then she met someone that filled that spot, someone who gave her a reason to keep fighting, to keep moving on." Shisui smiled slightly and looked down. "That's why Itachi, you don't have to be afraid of saying goodbye to someone whose time has come, because there is someone else waiting to fill that empty spot for you and help you become a better version of yourself."
Itachi closed his eyes. "I guess you're right..."
"Besides, I don't think all conflicts can be solved with words." Shisui stood from the cliff. "Sometimes, you have to kill to protect. Sometimes people are just plain evil and deserve to die. Though, I do agree with avoiding senseless fighting, that's a show off." Itachi watched Shisui walk away from the cliff. "Let's rest for now, I'll meet you at the gates at seven."
Itachi stood and stayed a little longer watching the stars. "Sometimes I must kill to protect...?" Itachi clenched his fists. "How many kills are enough?"
* * *
The next morning, Shisui waited at the gates for Itachi. The boy finally appeared after a few minutes, dressed in full ninja gear. He greeted him with a smile. "Oh, Itachi. Ready to head out?"
Itachi was about to answer, when another voice interrupted him. "No goodbyes?" Itachi looked over his shoulder to find Hanako standing there. She felt something flutter in her core when his eyes trained on her figure. She quickly looked away.
"You came," Itachi commented.
Hanako played with her fingers. "Well, it is an important mission, right? I just wanted to make sure you were ready."
Itachi smiled. "You'll go to Sasuke's ceremony, right?"
Hanako chuckled. "Yeah, I'll be his big sister today. Don't take too long, or I'll adopt him."
Itachi smiled widely, and Hanako felt her insides burn. "We'll be back shortly, don't miss me too much," he said.
"I'd be glad if you don't come back. Then I'd become the strongest Uchiha."
Itachi chuckled. "Of course."
Shisui watched them with a smile. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak Hanako shushed him. "I'm not delivering any messages to Hikari on your part."
He chuckled. "Well, I had to try."
Hanako looked at both of them with a small but honest smile. "Do your best."
"We will," Shisui winked. "You are standing before two of the most promising Uchiha, come on."
Hanako laughed at that. "We will be back before you know it," Itachi said, approaching her. Hanako looked at him. He was close enough to her, she could smell his faint cologne. Suddenly, he leaned closer and placed a kiss on her cheek. The girl widened her eyes slightly as he pulled away with a smile and turned his back to her.
"I'll be going now."
Hanako smiled, looking at the ground to hide her blush from them. "Take care." Itachi and Shisui headed out into the forest, towards the Feudal Lord's mansion. Hanako observed them until they disappeared from sight.
When they were gone, Hanako grinned widely and jumped still holding her cheek. He kissed me. When she turned around, a sudden presence made her halt. Fugaku was standing right in front of her, looking at her with firm eyes.
"Did they leave already?" Hanako brought her hand back down and nodded. "I heard you would be at Sasuke's entrance ceremony."
"Itachi asked me to go on his behalf."
"I see." Fugaku nodded. "I'll see you there," he muttered before walking away. Hanako finally looked at him from over her shoulder, and watched his retreating back.
* * *
"I'm glad you're finally here!" The Feudal Lord greeted the boys when they reached his mansion.
"We're ready to proceed with the mission whenever you're ready," Itachi bowed respectfully at the Lord.
"Fine, fine." The man chuckled. "But first, I'd like to introduce you to my daughter." He turned slightly towards a door. "Hisako! Come here, sweetie!" Itachi and Shisui looked towards the big door when it opened, and a young girl appeared. She was dressed in a formal red kimono, her blond hair was tied up in a bun and in her face there was a light touch of makeup. "I'd like to introduce you to your escort," said the lord with a smile when his daughter reached his side.
"It's nice to meet you, Hisako." Shisui nodded respectfully. "I'm Shisui Uchiha, at your service." The girl nodded before turning towards the other boy. Itachi thought of sighing when he noticed the faint blush on her cheeks, but held himself together.
"My name is Itachi Uchiha," he said curtly with a cold tone and an expressionless face.
"It's a pleasure," Hisako smiled softly. Itachi looked at Shisui when he heard him sigh loudly.
"Seriously, what kind of charm do you possess, Itachi?" The boy frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Nevermind..." Shisui shook his head. "Just remember the point of this mission," he said, starting to walk towards the exit of the mansion. Itachi watched him leave and soon started to follow him.
- Writer
