NARUTO SI: A Burdened Soul (Elder Brother to Itachi SI)

Chapter 11

IZUNA UCHIHA

"You are a chunin now," Itachi said in awe. Izuna nodded, ruffling his brother's hair as his mother looked at him with both pride and worry.

"I am, I was promoted just today," he said, as she stepped forward.

"I am proud of you, Izuna. We should celebrate," she said, and he shook his head.

"I am afraid that will not be possible. I have to make preparations. I am being deployed once more and will leave tomorrow morning," and saw both their eyes widen.

"But I thought you were going to be home for one more month," Itachi asked, and he just shrugged.

"It was always a possibility," he asked, though it seemed to him that his mother suspected this already.

"Well, if it's not a celebration, I will prepare your favorite dish today. You should make preparations," she said, and with that, she vanished into the kitchen, as Izuna turned towards his younger brother.

"Don't worry, and take care of Mother. I will be back soon," and the lovely kid that he was Itachi nodded, as Izuna ruffled up his hair once more.

"Hey!" Itachi complained, as Izuna laughed.

"But you were supposed to take me to the academy," and indeed, that had been the plan. His brother had made him promise that he would take Itachi to the academy on his first day, especially with Itachi set to start in a month.

"Well, I am afraid I might not be able to make it to that," because from what the initial mission report was, this deployment was going to last quite some time.

"But don't worry. I will make it up to you somehow," he said, leaving the house to run the most important errand. He walked through the clan compound and began walking towards an old, decrepit House located near the edge of the Uchiha compound.

This was Shisui's House, the one he had been visiting daily as per his promise to take care of his mother. Though the clan provided some help in taking care of widowed and ill members like her, it was not really satisfactory.

It had been one reason why he had gone off on one of the elders, but it did not matter. Shisui was his friend, and this was one thing he had asked of him. So, Izuna would do it even if it cost him all his fame and accolades.

And so, he entered the House slowly, his body shifting as he moved through the Halls, morphing into one he was much too familiar with as he spoke up in a familiar voice.

"I am home," he said, walking through the door towards the only room still lit up, where a young, pale-looking woman lay in bed.

"It is good to have you back, Shisui-kun...."

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The rest of the day passed by in a blur as Izuna traveled to the weapons store to restock on kunai and shuriken and then to the other stores to get the rest of the supplies, like armor, clothes, weapons, sealing scrolls, and ink.

The village only provided a standard amount of things. The rest needed to be bought by the shinobi personally according to his own taste, and so forth. He ate his dinner at home with Itachi and his mother before late into the night. He jumped out of the room's window, and made his way to the Konoha cemetery as he found himself standing infront of a grave.

"I am getting deployed again," he spoke as he lit up the incense, as he heard footsteps behind him.

"I know," came the answer as he turned around and stood face to face with someone just a few months older than him. The three of them had joined the academy at the same time, all bearing the name Uchiha. Yet thankfully, only he and Shisui had really blown past the academy to graduate in a year, the kunoichi infront of him while talented had failed to do so, a blessing in a way.

"How are you, Saiko?" Izuna asked, and the girl smiled.

"I am well," how about you Izuna-kun," she asked softly as Izuna shrugged.

"Well enough, I would say," he sighed as her gaze turned to their friend's grave.

"I asked you to come here because I had a few favors to ask of you," he said, and the girl's eyes widened, for Izuna was not blind to her little crush on him and Shisui, though only he remained of the two.

"Of course, Izuna-kun," she replied as Izuna sighed.

"I have had missions issued to take care of Shisui-kun's mother, but I was hoping that while I was away you could visit her once a week to look after her," he asked and saw her eyes widen.

"Of course, I would have visited her daily had you asked. There was no need for missions," but he shook his head. As the son of the clan head and one of the few fuinjutsu masters, Izuna was rather loaded when it came to money.

"I did not want to bother you much, and the second thing is a bit personal," he began and saw her nod as she walked upto him.

"My brother, Itachi, is set to join the academy in a few months. I might not be here to show him around, and I was hoping you could help him out," he asked, seeing her eyes widen before she smiled warmly.

"Of course, Izuna-kun. You need not have even asked...."

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OROCHIMARU-The Snake Sanin

Most shinobi were fools who spent their lives fighting battles with no purpose. Their thirst for power, fuelled only by greed, patriotism and necessity. They rarely saw the world for what it was, for how futile it was and how meaningless and short their lives were.

Orochimaru knew that. He had seen it. A whole village wiped off the face of the Earth just because a few shinobi needed an encampment—that was his story and showed just how meaningless life could be.

Orochimaru had long vowed that his life would not be so insignificant, that he would not die a meaningless death, that he would try to see the reality of this world, learn all he could, and live for as long as he could.

This perverted desire drove him to be the best; it made him ruthless and unhinged, for he saw no morals, no limitations, and saw only purpose and goals. And there were but a few lines he was not willing to cross in pursuit of those goals.

Mutilation. Grave robbing. Experimentations on children, he had done it all, yet his interests were exploited by a certain one-eyed elder who thought too highly of himself and deluded himself into thinking that he could stop him. Control him.

That fool.

Danzo Shimura was smart, driven by his own conviction that he knew the best for the village. The man was willing to do the most heinous of crimes, and yet the need of the village was a pretence, a way for his conscience to justify his actions.

Danzo Shimura wished to be a kage. He wished to hold the mantle for which he was deemed unworthy by his teacher, the Nidaime, a man he idolized. He wished for power. He wished to satiate the doubts in his own mind, doubts that all sprung from the Nidaime's decision to choose his friend over him, to choose Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage in his stead.

And that was his goal. The village and its wellness were, but a pretense and Orochimaru was much willing to play this game as long as it served his purpose. And their partenership suited him well enough, even though the man thought that he could control him.

The idiocy of that mind.

He had gotten access to things and materials through the old war hawk that he would have had much trouble finding. Things like the first Hokage's cells, cells from the Uchiha's genius Kagami Uchiha, and abandoned clan children that bore Kekkei Genkai.

It had allowed him to progress in leaps and bounds, and in this search for answers and longevity. He found himself mesmerized by a prowess that few ever understood. A kekkei genkai that could trace its history to the times of the Great Sage himself.

Sharingan.

A doujutsu, unlike any other, was capable of performing miracles. It was one of the fascinating things beyond the Shodaime's mokuton, another thing he would never have been able to access without the warhawk's backing.

The boy beside him was one of the bearers of one of these gifts and of possibly even the evolved form of this gift. Of the Mangekyo Sharingan, a secret even amongst the Uchiha known to only but a few and that made him such a valuable prize

"I believe I have not congratulated you on your promotion yet, Izuna-kun," Orochimaru began as he led the reinforcements to the Northern front, and yet, despite being a quarter of the average shinobi age, the boy ran beside them with no complaints, his chakra so well controlled that not even a single bit went to waste as he jumped from one tree to the next.

"There is no need for that, Orochimaru-sama. It is but a promotion, one that we both know is rather useless when it comes to fighting on the battlefield," and this was what fascinated him about the boy, what Danzo Shimura did not see.

The maturity. The prowess, if only that idiot knew just how special the boy beside him was.

Alas, the boy had made an enemy out of the old war hawk, and Orochimaru was sure that even if he did not try to kill him, there were a few members of that accursed foundation in the unit behind him who would try and take their chance to kill the boy.

And wouldn't that be interesting?

He chuckled.

"That is indeed true. For most shinobi becoming a chunin would not matter much," and yet it was not that which was surprising, or impressive even though the boy was rather young. No it was the other thing.

"It has been years since I have heard sensei praise someone's ninjutsu. The last person I can think of who got such praise was myself," he added, and that was true, for while Namikaze may be the beloved child, his specialty lay more in fuinjutsu and kinjutsu, and the Professor was a master of the art of ninjutsu, and was much scarce with his praise.

"I doubt it is as impressive as you make it seem, Orochimaru-sama," the boy's expression did not even shift at the praise. But Orochimaru knew that, in truth, it was even more impressive.

Blue Flames. Few understood the difficulty, the genius, and the dedication it would take to pull off such a feet, for he had tried a similar thing with many a jutsu.

And to do all that at eight years of age was the sign of a prodigy. A true prodigy.

Is that why Danzo feared him as much as he did? Was this why the man had leaked intelligence about the young Uchiha's team to their enemies? As they neared the border, he suddenly frowned as their tracker jumped forward, the Hyuuga clan member had his own Kekeu Genkai activated.

"Enemies up front. Four-man cell, three chunin, one jounin. 800 meters to the North East," and yes, indeed, he had felt them as well. He raised his hand, slowing down the pace of the unit as he thought of a plan.

"Izuna-kun," he asked, looking at the boy.

"Why don't you take care of them for us and show the rest of the unit what it means to be a shinobi," he asked, and the boy nodded, for because of his age, the boy was still doubted by many.

Not that those idiots had any right to.

But this would be a novel experience for the boy, and it would allow him to see his progress with his own eyes.

"As you wish, Orochimaru-sama," and with that, the boy began rushing forward as the Hyuga tracker approached him.

"Is it wise to leave this to him? He is so young," the man asked, and Orochimaru chuckled.

"He will be just fine...."

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So the unit held back as Orochimaru stood on a tree and watched the Uchiha boy retreat through the forest as the Kumo nin chased after him, trying to surround him.

And as a tree blew up from an explosion tag, the young Uchiha jumped and landed on the ground as the four Kumo nin surrounded him.

"He that sigil. Isn't this one of those up jumped Uchiha clan member," the jounin spoke roghly, he was an ordinary career jounin one not so skilled.

"Yeah, what is Konoha even doing sending kids to do their dirty work," the others laughed as they slowly walked forward, encircling Izuna-kun, who stood there, tanto in hand, as he watched approach.

"Give up, kid. You are done. And maybe I will gouge out those eyes after killing you," the jounin offered, and yet there was neither fear nor excitement on that face as Izuna Uchiha brought up his hand.

"Seal...." and at those words, the Kumo-nin's eyes widened as a massive sealing forumla expanded from under his feet as he opened his eyes to reveal the deadly sharingan as he spoke up,

"I am afraid it is you who is done...." and at those words, multiple clones of him appeared behind him.

No, they were not clones as they all rushed towards the Kumo nin. The chunin could do nothing as their necks were cut, yet the jounin managed to resist as he slashed his kunai at one of the clones, and yet the attack passed right through it.

"Shit a clone...." and yet, to both their surprise, the tanto of the same clone did not budge as it cut through the man's neck, leaving him dead.

And as the four Kumo nin lay dead, the boy turned his gaze towards him, those red eyes sending a shiver down his spine.

"It is done...."

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