The Fateful Uchiha

Time went by. The Genins continued to train for the Chunin exam. Yamato decided to register his students. Kakashi, on the other hand, was another story. Jun didn’t know what he intended to do with his students. The copy ninja hadn’t taken him up on the offer for joint training. However, his group trained twice with Yamato’s team. In Jun’s eyes, it was a good start.

Everyone was busy in the village. The genin were training for the exam. The other shinobis were also working to get everything ready. The two Sannins were also doing their part. Well, one of them mostly. Jiraiya spent the majority of his time getting arrested by the Police for doing research for his novel.

Tsunade took command of the hospital. A couple of days after her arrival in the village, she met with Jun. The latter gave her the kunai with Itachi’s blood on it. Since that day, their paths hadn’t crossed. Tsunade had reconnected with several Senju descendants. She seemed to want to know about her distant relative. She had met Ume, at the hospital. Ume told Izumi, who accidentally mentioned it to her brother. Tsunade had been impressed by Ume's medical skills and chakra control and decided to take her under her guidance. Jun wondered if Sakura’s chance of being trained under Tsunade was gone. 

In the Uchiha clan, no one mentioned the Mangekyo Sharingan. It was as if the matter was taboo. Jun understood. It was a delicate topic, especially for Sasuke. Moreover, they all know their clan leader had a weapon that could blind him the more he used it. However, Sasuke broke the taboo a few days later, when they were alone on a training ground. The teenager avoided his gaze, his eyes fixed on his target riddled with shurikens.

“How is the Mangekyo Sharingan awakened? Based on what you told us, It must be different from the normal Sharingan with tomoes.”

Jun thought about the question for a few seconds. He was considering whether to tell him the truth.

“The Mangekyo is awakened by the trauma suffered from witnessing the loss of someone dear.”

Sasuke shuddered as if he had received an electric shock. He glanced away at Jun, without daring to ask the question.

“For me, it was my father. I’m not totally sure, but I believe seeing my father die in front of me awakened both my Sharingan and Mangekyo. At the time, I wasn’t aware of it.”

“And for Itachi?”

 “If I have to guess, it must have been Shisui’s death. They were very close. Itachi respected Shisui a lot. To him, he was a mentor, a friend, a brother, a confident…”

Sasuke looked down again, but this time he looked at his hands. Maybe he wondered who it would be for him. Kazuma’s face appeared in Jun’s mind. Masami aside, Kazuma was the youngest sibling, whom they all adored. Sasuke was no exception.

Sasuke must have come to the same conclusion. His expression changed, and he wiped his hands on his shorts with a quick gesture. Jun felt his face soften. Maybe Sasuke wouldn’t be manipulated this time. He had a family around him. They loved him, and he loved them. Maybe it would be enough to prevent Sasuke from seeking power at all costs.

“Show me this thing with the shurikens,” Sasuke ordered in the compelling tone he used when he was uncomfortable.

Jun concealed a smirk and obeyed.

He couldn’t erase the past… The Uchiha massacre, Danzo's machinations, the trauma inflicted on Sasuke ... These were things that had happened. Things he couldn't change. But ... How these things influenced events afterward... That, Jun could change. 

Sasuke had received support, love, a sense of belonging, and security. And hasn't that changed him already? In his way of seeing things, in his way of coping with his past, in his way of reacting to new revelations… He was already different from what he could have been if he had grown up alone.

*****

Among all the kids in Jun’s care, Karin was the one who progressed the most. Since the conversation about the Mangekyo Sharingan, she was even more motivated than usual. Since she was under his tutelage, Jun had taught her the basics and theories of Fuinjutsu. The Uzumaki had a strong foundation to build on. 

She could grasp just about any concept. Karin didn’t have his experience and mastery, but she was talented. So Jun shouldn’t be surprised to see her evolve so much. She was even exploring areas where Jun had little experience. The Uchiha clan leader mastered explosion seals and storage seals. But he knew little about barriers. He could set up basic barriers, but when it came to complicated barriers, he wasn’t as comfortable with them.

Karin was a bit more versatile when it came to Fuinjutsu. Using her knowledge from the books her master had given her, she created a Fuinjutsu of her own. Jun had no idea his student was working on such a project. He was caught off guard when Karin created a translucent barrier during one of their training and captured Neji inside in a few moves. 

Unlike Jun, Karin couldn’t place a seal with a single touch of the finger. She needed more practice and experience before she could do it. However, she had mastered drawing them on paper notes and scrolls. With ample time, she could prepare the terrain and hide her seals everywhere. 

It only took four paper notes on the ground and lured Neji into the area inside to activate the seal and trap the Hyuga. Once inside, the Hyuga was defenseless. He couldn’t get out. Even with his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, he couldn’t free himself. Jun was proud of Karin.

“I believed they were just explosive notes,” Neji said.

Tenten slightly hit his head with her staff, and Inaho rolled her eyes. 

“And you didn’t find it weird when she was luring you in the middle.”

Neji didn’t have an answer to that. He was too fixated on avoiding the paper notes. He missed Karin’s true intention. Lee was giving his teammate the thumbs, happy to see her defeating the Hyuga. Sai was also nearby, pinned to a tree by shurikens. It was a regular training session. Gai was on a mission. He entrusted his genins to Jun to be in charge of their training so they don’t slack off in his absence.

The genins had all improved. But Karin’s recent achievement greatly surprised him. She was already strong. Being in Gai’s team, her physical abilities were off of the chart. Taijutsu was her strong suit. She knew some Ninjutsus too since Jun also trained her in it. He wanted her to be versatile. However, if she added barriers creation to the mix, she would be a force to be reckoned with. 

A few days later, while they were home, Izumi came up with a proposal.

“You should all learn the basics of Medical Ninjutsu. Even if you don’t want to be a medic, it would still be useful.”

“She makes a good point.” Jun agreed. “It saved my ass a few times during missions. Knowing to close a wound to avoid bleeding out can save you or your teammate.”

“You know Medical Ninjutsu?” Sasuke, surprised, asked Jun.

“You don’t seem to be the type,” Kazuma added.

“You little…”

“Maybe he copied it with his Sharingan.” 

“You two are underestimating me. Anyway, it’s not something you can copy. You need to study. I worked hard to learn the Mystical Palm technique. It took me a couple of years.” Jun corrected.

Kazuma turned to Izumi.

“Hey, sis. Didn’t you learn that technique in a few months?” 

Jun threw a cushion to his face. His little brother dodged while laughing. 

“I don’t want to learn it.”

Everyone turned to Karin. Her serious tone contrasted with the light atmosphere. Jun almost asked why, but then he remembered the fate suffered by Karin's mother. She was exploited by Kusa for her healing abilities. Karin must be thinking about it. 

“You don’t have to.” He said to Karin. “It’s just an extra skill.”

“I know.”

Izumi cleared her throat.

“For those interested, the basis of medical ninjutsu is chakra control.”

Sasuke, Kazuma, and Neji were all interested, so Izumi showed them exercises to gather and circulate their chakra in a specific way. Kazuma was especially fascinated. For someone as empathetic and selfless as he was, He must have been thrilled by the opportunity.

Neji was more reserved. It was Sasuke's expression that was most surprising. He was intensely focused. It was rare to see him so focused on something unrelated to combat. He was even trying harder than Kazuma. Jun was surprised. Of all of them, he expected Sasuke to show no interest in learning medical Ninjutsu.

All three boys had a decent level of chakra control. Neji’s control over his chakra was even on another level. He was a Hyuga after all. Quickly, Izumi made them do something else. They must circulate their chakra into a leaf. The goal was to see if they could control the energy out of their body.

Their control wasn’t perfect. Sasuke didn’t succeed at first. His leaf flew away between his fingers. His second attempt was better. His chakra went through the leaf without damaging it. Neji's and Kazuma's leaves were reduced to pieces in their hands. There was a moment of silence. Izumi’s eyes were wide open. Jun was speechless. Getting your chakra through something was the most basic exercise, the most harmless of the medical ninjutsu training! How could two prodigies like Neji and Kazuma not control their energy?

“Isn't it normal?” Kazuma asked with a nervous laugh.

Izumi activated her Sharingan and leaned forward.

“No, it’s not. Do it again. I’ll take a closer look.”

She passed him a new tree leaf, and Kazuma obeyed nervously. Jun also activated his Sharingan, and he saw how hard Kazuma was trying to be delicate. But…. By the time his chakra entered the leaf, he saw the problem. And the result was exactly the same as before. The leaf was destroyed. Neji’s attempt failed as well.

“It's too dense. Your chakra is way too dense.” He explained.

Someone without Sharingan or Byakugan couldn't see it.

“Too dense? I was never told my chakra was too dense.” Neji said.

That’s probably because you’re using it to destroy things, Jun thought to himself. He glanced at his sister. 

“The chakra is like low-pressure water. It is fluid, it is easy to handle. But your chakra, and that of Kazuma… It's like a jet of water at high pressure. For offensive Ninjutsu, it doesn’t change anything for you guys. It probably helps you. But for something as delicate as medical Ninjutsu, it is too much.”

Neji remained silent for a moment.

“Do you think that may explain why there is no Hyuga medic?” Neji asked.

Jun turned to Kazuma. He stared at his torn leaf, the air devastated. The future of medical ninja had been torn from him before it even took shape.

Suddenly, Neji said in an unassured voice

“I don’t see the difference with my Byakugan. No Hyuga will realize it, then?”

Jun hadn't thought about it, and he froze. Izumi bit her lip.

“Probably not. You need to have some notions about medical ninjutsu to know what to look for. But if a medic-ninja treats you or Kazuma, and their chakra comes into contact with yours, they would be able to notice your peculiarity.”

Kazuma had never required the care of a medic. He had been pampered and protected, and he had always been able to perform his missions and training without severe injuries. But now that he was Genin, one day he would need care. In a month, a year, a few years… Perhaps during the Chunin exam who knew? But one day, it would happen, and someone may find out this clue about him and his origin.  

Jun was already accelerating his plans for the Hyuga. The current system of main and branch families had to disappear before Kazuma’s secret was out in the open. It was the only way to protect his brother from the Hyuga’s Cage Bird Seal.