Naruto: Thrown Into the Leaf

The river moved slowly today.

Otis stood ankle-deep in the water, sleeves rolled up, palms covered in dirt and scratches. His right hand ached from overuse.

The rocks felt heavier now — not physically, but energetically.

Like when you hold your arm straight up for too long and everything starts to drag down.

Today He was trying to mix his chakra more precisely.

He raised a stone.

Breathed.

Pressed chakra through his fingers.

Threw.

WHUMP.

The tree across the river splintered.

A clean, deep crack along the trunk.

Otis exhaled. But he didn't react. Instead, his eyes scanned the treeline. Just for a second.

Like he'd felt something. 

It had happened so many times that he was sure now — someone was watching.

Maybe ANBU.

Maybe Root.

Maybe a spy from an enemy village.

But Otis didn't change anything.

He trained.

He ate the same packed meal — steamed roots, salted rice, and fish jerky.

Only difference was…

He ate slower.

Not because he was tired.

But because the wind had a stillness today.

Something was off.

One of the branches had moved.

Not much.

Just a small rustle.

A snap of a twig.

Could've been a bird.

Could've been anything.

But it had rhythm.

Timing.

It had intent.

And Otis had lived enough quiet days to know what intent felt like.

The next day, he checked the stone he'd thrown yesterday.

It had been placed back.

Not exactly — but close.

Close enough that someone tried to make it look untouched.

Otis could tell the difference.

It wasn't perfect.

But it was careful.

He simply picked another rock.

Threw it — 

Otis can see signs of for sometime now, like when he was packing up, and he noticed his water bottle was turned slightly, it was the same bottle and it was on the same place but the mouthpiece had dirt on it

Something — someone — was watching.

***

The weather was cloudy today 

Just a sliver of sunlight between the clouds.

Itachi crouched silently on a high branch, his ANBU mask in place.

Below, in the brush near the river — two shadows shifted.

They weren't from the village guard, nor were they ANBU.

Root.

He remembered Hiruzen's words:

"If they do not stand down…

…eliminate them."

Itachi didn't hesitate.

He waited as the two Root agents moved in a pattern, moving between cover. They had no killing intent and no aggression..

One moved to Otis's food stash — the bag he often left tucked behind a fallen log.

The other remained in the trees, watching.

Scribbling something in a scroll

Itachi dropped without a sound.

His feet didn't crush a leaf.

The first Root agent didn't even turn before the kunai slid under his mask and into his throat.

There was no struggle.

Just a gasp — 

Then silence.

The second agent reacted instantly — 

But not fast enough.

A shuriken cut off his path of escape.

And before he could land another step—

Itachi was already there.

His Eyes were calm and Silent.

He didn't need to use the Sharingan.

Just one precise palm strike to the neck — two fingers to stop the heart, not to kill him — and the agent collapsed.

He was still breathing but he couldn't feel his body, he was paralyzed.

Itachi knelt beside the fallen one and Spoke in a voice low and firm:

"You are not authorized to observe the boy."

The Root agent tried to speak.

Itachi pressed two fingers against his throat. With just enough pressure.

"Danzō has no jurisdiction here."

 "By the order of the Third Hokage"

(Pic)

He marked the agent with a tracking seal and left the agent unconscious.Tied to the tree.

The forest was silent again..

And in the distance, barely visible…there was a faint spark of light and smoke.

Otis's campfire.

Itachi turned his eyes there.

And then he vanished into the trees, like a shadow.

***

The Hokage's office was dim.

Late evening the sunlight filtered through the trees, cutting across the smoke curling from Hiruzen's pipe. He didn't look up when the masked figure entered.

"Report," Hiruzen said quietly.

The ANBU removed his mask.

Itachi stood silently, there were faint bloodstains on his sleeve.

"The Root agents have been handled. They won't interfere again."

Hiruzen nodded, staring at the smoke as it rose and curled.

"Good."

A pause.

Itachi's voice was calm, but something in his tone lingered.

"You knew they were watching him for weeks."

Hiruzen's fingers twitched slightly on his pipe.

"Yes."

"And you let them?"

"I needed to see who would act without orders. Now I know."

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, Hiruzen looked up at him.

"Thank you, Itachi."

The Uchiha prodigy blinked, just once.

"For doing what Danzō never understood."

"You're not just a tool."

"No matter what he made you believe."

Itachi didn't answer right away.

His jaw tightened slightly 

Then he nodded.

"Understood."

And with that, he put the mask back on — and disappeared.

***

Otis only visited the village when necessary — for supplies or academy.

He was in his fifth year at the Academy.

Only one year left before graduation.

But he'd already decided:

He'd apply for early graduation.

The Academy had nothing left to offer.

And he wanted to start chakra transformation training early.

It would take time to mold chakra into Earth Release.

And Otis wasn't going to waste a year.

He didn't know the exact canon timeline,

But he was sure the Uchiha Massacre happened around this year.

He remembered meeting Itachi in the Academy.

His senior by a year.

They never spoke much.

But once, their sensei arranged for seniors to spar with juniors — to give guidance.

Otis sparred with Itachi that day.

Not long after, Itachi applied for early graduation.

As Otis thought about the massacre, his mood darkened. He dont want see so many people die in the uchiha massacre

Women, children…

 Just because of the schemes of some old people. Not because of old men playing at war.

He hated those kinds of people. The ones who'd already lived their lives…

And still meddled in the next generation's future, and they don't care how many lives were sacrificed for their goals.

Old people should retire.

Leave the next generation in peace.

"In the arguments between two idiot old men…

…the young are always sacrificed in war."

Otis thought bitterly, remembering the world wars from his previous life.

He didn't know how to prevent it.

Yes — with his strength and throwing power, he could defeat a normal jōnin.

But he couldn't beat Itachi.

Or Obito.

So he'd be careful.

He'd observe the Uchiha clan from a distance.

Gather intel.

Assess the situation.

And if there was even one chance to stop it…

He would take it.

...

(A/N)

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