User:Idemona/Self Made Stories

The Special Child: Ryuku Uchiha



Chapter I: The Start
Ryuku Uchiha was born on October 24th by Minaza Uchiha and Ryuzen Kenshi. about 9 years later, During the events of the first shinobi war, his parents defended against the forces that invaded their home in Konoha, defending him at all costs.

"Kill them! They are enemies!" shouted a shinobi from the sand, to his comrade who was questioning the necessity of cutting down an innocent mother in front of her child.

"Do we really need to kill them? They aren't even armed!" He shouted. His words spoke with good intentions but his superior heard them not.

"It does not matter! They could retaliate in the future if they are not dealt with now! We cannot take chances!"

The subordinate was now completely aware that his duty was unjust, and refused to do as he was told.

"No... No! This is wrong!" He shouted "I don't want this, this war is not necessary! This family has done nothing to us! Why should they die because of something they didn't cause?"

The other shinobi was furious and shoved his subordinate to the side "If you will not do it then I will!" The shinobi brandished his sword and swung it at Ryuku's mother who was clutching Ryuku tightly as to block him from harm.

"You... You will not harm my child!" She shouted.

Ryuku was sobbing and wondering why this had even occured, much less to them and their village.

"Please... Why is this happening... what did we do...?" he sobbed. He clutched his mother tightly and awaited his demise.

Just in time Ryuku's father jumped in front of them and deflected the swing with his own sword.

"Minaza, take Ryuku and get out of here! I'll hold them off!" He shouted

Minaza, not wanting to leave without Ryuku's father, begged him to not make them leave without him.

"But.. No! Ryuzen we... No!" She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Minaza! Now is not the time to blubber and pretend that we can all survive no matter what! You must do what you can to protect Ryuku and yourself. If I die then I died defending my pride, my clan and my family. I will do what I must!" He shouted. Minaza was crying and wishing it didn't have to be this way, but she knew he was right. She ran past them and dashed through the ruins of the Konoha. "No, Father! NO!!!" Ryuku screamed. He was devastated and did not understand what was happening. All he knew was that his father might die and he and his mother were leaving him to his fate.

"Mother! Please, we have to go back! Father needs our help and we-" His mother stopped and grabbed Ryuku by the shoulders and shook him firmly.

"Ryuku!! Listen to me!" She shouted "I don't want to leave your father behind... I love him and I know you do too. But please, try to understand that he is keeping us safe by staying behind to hold off our enemies. You... You have to help me. You have to keep your head and remember that your father's sacrifice must not be in vain!"

"But I don't want to leave him! I want him to come with us....." He cried.

Minaza hugged Ryuku tight. "I know, love... I'm so sorry you have to go through this. But you MUST stay strong with me. I promise that I will always keep you safe. Your father has a duty to uphold to his clan, and to us. And he wants to keep us safe at all costs."

She wanted to start sobbing but she had to maintain her head for her son. Ryuku was crying but became more level headed because of his mother's soothing words.

"*Sniff..* Sniff...* okay Mother... Okay" He muttered.

She picked him up and they ran out of the gates of Konoha and into the forest. Minaza and Ryuzen anticipated an upcoming war and for just in case measures had a small home just underground built by their hands to keep Minaza, Ryuzen and, or Ryuku, specifically if need be, safe from any harm. They had plenty of food for a few weeks and as long as nothing was left obvious nobody would know of their position.

As they dashed through the woods and trees they were ambushed by three Shinobi from the Mist. The men brandished their weapons and were not adverse to attacking an innocent woman and child.

"You two. Come with us. You will be hostages until we get information on the villiage out of you both." Minaza wholly objected to his statement.

"You will not take my child from me! You can have me if you want but I beg you... Please spare my child... He is just a little boy. He hasn't a thing to do with this war. I don't either, but if you will let him be then you can have me instead." She spoke valiant but shaken words of defense for Ryuku, who was against the idea completely. "No Mother, we have to-" Ryuku was interrupted when a sword slashed through his mother right before his eyes.

"When did I give you permission to speak?!" The shinobi shouted.

Ryuku was completely frozen. His mother was just cut down and he couldn't do anything about it. "M....Mo...Mother...?" He uttered. His eyes completely darkened and appeared empty of emotion except for sorrow and pure anger.

"Mother... Mother?...... Mother?!" His eyes fell on a sword laying on the ground across from him and the man who killed his mother. His eyes were becoming darker with hatred and he began to look straight into the man's eyes, who also planned to kill him next.

"You. You're useless anyways, probably don't know anything useful. And if we lieave you alive you might be trouble. Best to be rid of you now rather than later." He drew his sword and began to approach Ryuku, who fell over his mother and was crying hard.

"Mother... I.... Oh my god.... I... don't know what to do..." He sobbed. He felt his body become numb and his mind was overflowing with anger, and sadness, and darkness.

"I.... Hate him.. Hate them... He must.. He must die! They must all die!" He became furious and immediately positioned his eyes on his enemy.

Ryuku'e eyes possessed the first stage of the Sharingan Eye, an occular power adorned by Uchiha Clan members by emotional stress or difficult circumstaces.

"You!!!!" He screamed. "You killed my mother! I'LL KILL YOU!" He jumped at the sword across from him and brandished it. Ryuku had blacked out from his anger and was acting from an unconscious state of mind. He charged straight at the shinobi and stabbed him through the chest.

"What... What the hell?!" The other two attacked Ryuku at once and pinned him to the ground through struggle. Ryuku flailed and thrashed trying to escape but couldn't get free. Just as it seemed like his luck ran out his father appeared and cut down the two shinobi holding down Ryuku in one swing.

Ryuku passed out from the anger-induced outlash he had just produced and when he had awoken he was inside a small room with a few cabinets and a pantry, with a single light in the center to keep it dimly lit. This was the hideout Ryuzen and Minaza had built it seems.

"You're awake... Good. How are you feeling? I know how terrible this must be. I can't believe I wasn't there soon enough to..." Ryuzen stopped and forced himself not to shed tears in order to maintain his head for his son's sake.

"Father...?" Ryuku raised his head up and looked around and saw his dad next to his bedside. Ryuzen, fighting his tears, placed his hand on his son's head and consoled him.

"Your sharingan has awakened too it seems. That is good. I'm sorry, Ryuku." He said.

Ryuku remembered suddenly all at once what had happened, the man he killed and his mother being cut down. He instantly broke down and began crying again.

"Father, she's dead! She's dead and I couldn't do anything about it! I'm so-" His father covered his mouth with his hand and pulled Ryuku in for a tight hug.

"Stop that this instant! This is NOT your fault... If anyone is responsible it is the man you killed... and Me. I should have been there. But I took too long to arrive. You protected yourself long enough for me to save you, and bring you here. Do not blame yourself, please." Ryuzen was desperately trying to fight back his tears at this point, and was starting to lose his grip on it.

"I'm sorry Ryuku.... I'm so sorry."

After a long few minutes of crying they both fell asleep together.

Ryuzen planned to teach Ryuku how to use his Sharingan, and was going to train him to fight as well. Ryuzen had to keep him safe and get out of Konoha and this forest first and find a secluded place where no shinobi would find them while he trained Ryuku to return to Konoha after the war subsided, so that he could become a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and help to defend them like he did. Tomorrow morning they would head to an area by the Ocean, where he has built a small home and hiding place completely unbeknownst to the Shinobi of the world. Soon Ryuku will begin training to become a Shinobi, and he will become powerful enough to prevent his clan mates and his friends and family from ever suffering again.

Chapter II: Ryuku and The Sharingan
"The  Sharingan (写輪眼; Literally meaning "Copy Wheel Eye", Meaning ( Viz'') "Mirror Wheel Eye") is the  dōjutsu kekkei genkai of the  Uchiha clan that selectively appears in some of its members. [1]  While its progenitor was  Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's  Rinne Sharingan, its own individual form first manifested in  Indra, the earliest ancestor of the Uchiha clan, and later became regarded as one of the Three Great Dōjutsu (三大瞳術,  San Daidōjutsu; Literally meaning "Three Great Eye Techniques"), along with the  Byakugan and the  Rinnegan. [2] <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:23.7999992370605px;"> The Sharingan is also called " Heaven's Eye<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:23.7999992370605px;">" (天眼,  Tengan<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:23.7999992370605px;">), because of the many abilities it grants the user. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">[3] <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:23.7999992370605px;">  Tobirama Senju<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:23.7999992370605px;"> defines it as the "eye that reflects the heart" (心を写す瞳,  Kokoro o utsusu hitomi<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:23.7999992370605px;">)" ''

The next morning Ryuku awoke to his father's absence. He was worried and quickly got up to search. The stress from last night left him surprisingly weak and he became dizzy and fell back down on his bed to catch his breath. Though much to his surprise his father came back down the stairs.

"Ah, good you're awake!" He said. "Can you stand? We have some walking to do today." He seemed to be ready to do something important today. Ryuku hadn't remembered much from last night, but still he felt excited that his father was going to take him somewhere. He was still really upset about his mother but, he somehow knew that remaining upset and crying about it is not going to make her come back.

Ryuzen helped him to his feet and led him upstairs

"We will have to move to another place, more than likely the enemy has found those mist ninja and suspect us somewhere." He said. "I have a place, before I got to you last night I requested a good friend of mine to lead us there through a path that should be secluded from enemy sight." Ryuku got to his feet, but he felt wobbly and couldn't hold his footing.

"Ah.. Father I don't think I can stand yet.. My head really hurts too.." he said. Ryuku seemed to have a pretty severe headache and he is probably dehydrated and or hungry from last night.

"Ah this is no good, you won't be able to run.... We will have to wait till you can walk. Here, I know you're probably hungry as hell" He said, and handed Ryuku a bowl of Ramen "Make sure you drink that up too because you will need to be hydrated. Drink this too" He handed Ryuku a bottle of water as well. Ryuzen took a seat down below Ryuku and contemplated their position and what to do after they reach the next hideout. He did plan to train Ryuku but he was not sure how to go about it because he would definitely need to stay here with Ryuku for a few days while he recovered. And he couldn't exactly train Ryuku while he can barely walk. He figured that he could at least tell Ryuku some things about his new Occular ability.

"Ryuku, do you remember anything from last night?" He asked. Ryuku looked down and remembered his mother dying and him attacking.

"I only remember Mom... And the man I killed.." He said softly. Ryuzen had seen his son's Sharingan as clear as the day.

"Ryuku, you have awakened the Sharingan, an Uchiha Clan Occular Jutsu that is very special." He said. "The Sharingan Eye is special. One of Its <span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">powers is being able to see chakra flow. The Sharingan itself gives colour to chakra, allowing the wielder to differentiate them. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">[6] <span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> They are also able to tell if a person is under a genjutsu because the person's chakra flow would be irregular." He said. Ryuku was confused but sort of understood.

<span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">"I don't think I understand very well, Father..." He said defeatingly. Ryuzen tried to explain it better. "Okay, so Chakra is a natural occurence in every human body, however only skilled ninja can fully utilize its abilities. It is achieved by moulding your physical energy and your mental energy. Do you understand?" Ryuku had a little knowledge on chakra already and complied "Yes, I think so. You must focus and control both your physical and mental energy and mould them into Chakra, which you can control and use to create different Jutsu... Right?" He said.

<span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">"That's exactly correct! Once it is moulded into Chakra you can use it to manifest a number of different jutsu. Sharingan is awakened when you have experienced something emotionally strenuous, or in very difficult circumstances, or both. In this case... *Sigh...* Your mother. You attacked the shinobi that killed her just after awakening it. You managed to kill him but the other two caught you and held you down. Luckily i arrived to in time to save you." He said. Ryuku remembered. But he knew it was pointless to get upset. "So father.... What does this mean? I don't know why I awakened this... I'm so confused.." He said. Ryuzen tried to explain in detail without worsening his confusion.

<span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">"Okay, remember when I said it could see Chakra flow? Basically you can see the energy from other ninja that can control and manipulate their Chakra. The sharingan gives a color to the chakra they possess to make them stand out. Understand?" He said. Ryuku understood very well now. "Yes, I think so. Basically the energy from other Ninja will appear different and colored so I can see them differently from others. Right?" He said.

"Yes! It also enhances your sight, you can read people's lips and movements much easier. Another of the Sharingan's abilities is its perceptive enhancements. You can recognize genjutsu, and different forms of chakra." he said. Ryuzen thought he might not have been clear enough with Ryuku but Ryuku seemingly picked it up without a problem.

"Okay so I could be able to tell when I am caught in one, and also be able to see a different type of chakra, right?" He said with enthusiasm.

"Yes! You catch on very quick, Ryuku. Like your father of course!" He let out a hearty laugh and helped Ryuku to his feet. "I think that is enough for now, can you stand better now?" Ryuku could stand, he was a little dizzy at first but he could definitely move around. "Yes.. I think so." he said. Ryuzen decided they should be off soon because they should get a head start. "Try to move around the room bit by bit, eventually try to run a bit, we will need to move quickly so we are not discovered.

A man about 6 feet tall and mildly muscular, with long black spiky hair walked into the room and greeted Ryuzen with a firm handshake.

"Ah, Inuzo! Good to see you again, you're here to help us to the special place right?" Inuzo replied with a low booming voice "Yes sir. Though we should be off very soon, it's not safe around here anymore." Ryuzen beckoned Ryuku to his side, who was fully able to move around now. Ryuku felt slightly intimidated by Inuzo who was much larger than he was. "Ryuku this is Inuzo, a good friend of mine who is going to assist in both training you with me, and getting us to the next hideout." Ryuku shied behind his father, though Inuzo understood and chuckled. "Heh heh, good to meet you, Ryuku. When should we be off, Ryuzen?" Ryuzen put his hand on his chin and thought for a second. "Perhaps we should scout for a few minutes to make sure there is nobody on the path we are planning to use. I know it is supposed to be hidden, but those damn mist ninja always seem to find something they weren't supposed to find at all.

Inuzo agreed and Ryuzen told Ryuku to stay put "Ryuku, you stay here for a few minutes and keep moving around to get your blood flowing better, okay? We will be back in just a few minutes, I promise." Ryuku nodded his head and continued pacing the room a bit. After a few minutes passed his father and Inuzo had not returned and he started to worry. He went upstairs and wanted to go out to see if they were outside the hideout waiting, or looking for someone, but he knew he would get in trouble if he did.

Just as he began descending the stairs again, Inuzo and Ryuzen burst through the door. Ryuzen grabbed Ryuku's hand and pulled him to the door "Ryuku! We have to go now!" He shouted pulling him outside. Ryuku was in a panic but he complied and ran along with his father and Inuzo. "Inuzo, are there any following us?" He shouted. "No, it doesn't look like-" Suddenly a mist shinobi attacked out of the trees and caught them off guard. Inuzo deflected the blow with his sword and prepared to fight him off. "Ryuzen, I suggest you take Ryuku and escape. I can handle this alone." Ryuzen complied, but was cut off by another shinobi. "Son of a.. Damnit. Ryuku, get behind me, and don't move." Ryuku was afraid but he complied without a doubt.

Inuzo threw some shuriken at the shinobi who deflected them with his sword, though during that time Inuzo weaved the hand seals for Fireball Jutsu. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Inuzo exhumed a large breath of flames at the shinobi and burned him severely, incapacitating him.

"Ryuzen, I'm done here, should I take Ryuku with me and go ahead?" Ryuzen Agreed and complied "Yes, take Ryuku. I will be on your tail in a short minute." Ryuku was not ready to leave his father yet, but Ryuzen assured him he should go. "I will be right behind you, I promise" He gave Ryuku a thumbs up and a smile. Ryuku felt relief but still some worry, but knew what he needed to do. Inuzo and Ryuku took off ahead of him and about 20 minutes of moving through the forest they arrived at the oceanside. The sun was setting something beautiful and Ryuku had to comment on it. "Wow... That is really pretty." Inuzo as well thought so. "It is, isn't it? I used to come here as a kid myself when I needed to think or reflect on things I did or needed to do. It's peaceful. It's also why we built the other hideout here, because nobody actually knows about this spot except the Uchiha."

Inuzo led Ryuku to a small door on the ground under an over hang, and lifted it open. "Head inside. I'm going back to catch your Father. We'll be right back." Ryuku nodded and sat on a chair in the dimly lit room. It was pretty large, compared to the last place he was in. There was an entire area dedicated to their stock of food and drink with a fire pit in the center for cooking, and another for training purposes, and then the beds at the far side of the room for training. Ryuku wandered around for a bit, to see what was in the rooms and he discovered some weapons in one of the storage closets. He wanted to see them but he thought he should not because he did not know how to handle them.

About 20 minutes later Inuzo and Ryuzen walked through the door in the ceiling of the hideout and hurried inside. "Ryuku! You in here?" He spotted Ryuku across the room next to the weaponry closet and beckoned him over to him. "Come over here! We should eat something." Ryuku hurried over to the food room and took a seat next to the firepit. "Ryuku, I saw you eyeing the weapons in the closet." Ryuku averted his eyes and felt shameful "No no, you're not in trouble, son. That's a good thing, because we have to start training tomorrow morning. I hope that you're ready though. It will be difficult!" Ryuku was ready though. He wanted to become stronger and return to the leaf as a ninja, and begin protecting the villiage and its people from harm like his Father and Inuzo. He was ready for any challenge he had to face. After he finished dinner, he went to bed and prepared for the long next few years of training to come.

Chapter III: Training Day
The next morning, Ryuzen woke Ryuku up nice and early. "Wakey Wakey, Kid. Long day ahead of us!" Ryuku hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed.

Inuzo had already prepared breakfast which consisted of Miso Soup, Tomagoyaki, Broiled Fish and Tsukemono. During their breakfast time, Ryuzen asked Ryuku how he felt. "How do you feel, Ryuku? I need you in top condition to train effectively." Ryuku sipped his tea and took a bite out of his Tomagoyaki "I feel alright father, thank you." Ryuzen breathed and discussed routines with Izuno. "We should set up routines for you and I to patrol. I am very paranoid, as you know." Izuno however, felt this could present problems. "That is true... However, what would we do if we were tailed, and were unaware? Our location could be discovered." Ryuzen slumped back and realized that was true. "Sigh, that's a good point..." He gripped his stubbled chin and rubbed it softly, thinking to himself. Inuzo asked Ryuku how his cooking was since he had not a lot of practice with it. "Ryuku, how is my cooking? I haven't a lot of practice but heh, I did my best." Ryuku ate some of his soup and smiled brightly "It's great! You did a good job!" Inuzo lightly smiled and thanked him "Hah, well thank you. That's good to hear." Ryuzen smirked "You have a knack for cooking it seems. For this being only your third or fourth big meal that you alone have cooked, this is pretty well done." Inuzo was surprised at the praise he was recieving simply for cooking breakfast. "Well damn, thanks Ryuzen! Hah, I figured it wouldn't turn out this well. I always thought I wasn't the best at it." Ryuzen had finished his plate and stood up to stretch. "Finish up, Ryuku. We have a long day ahead of us, full stomachs are important to carry out the day!" Ryuku finished his tea and drank up his soup, and stood up as well to stretch. "Okay Father, I'm ready!" Ryuzen headed into the training room and pulled out some equipment. Two wooden sparring swords, some kunai, and shuriken. "Ryuku, we will start with your kunai and shuriken training." Ryuzen handed him a handful of Kunai. "This is not an easy weapon to use, it will probably take you about a year before you can REALLY use them. But, I have faith, you're a smart child." Ryuku beamed and began to practice. As Ryuzen exited the room he looked back to see Ryuku had actually hit three out of 5 of his targets- On his first throw.

"Ryuku... Did.. Did you throw those?" Ryuku was confused. "Yes, Father. Why?" Ryuzen was surprised that Ryuku had such talent already. "Ryuku, this is very good news. Please practice more, I will be back in an hour to check on your progress alright?" Ryuku smiled brightly and complied "Yes father!" Ryuku tossed a kunai with considerable force and planted it right in one of the posts perfectly centered. "Yes!" He thought to himself. He seemed to have a natural talent for kunai and shuriken. "Okay... This time I'm gonna try to throw a few at once." Ryuku brandished three shuriken and threw them all at once. Two of them hit in the center and just off to the side on the pole, and the third lower to the ground on the pole. "Alright, that was good!" He said to himself.

Ryuzen came back to check on his progress and was impressed. "Good job, Ryuku!" He said with pride. Ryuku beamed and smiled. "Okay, now we should start training you with a sword. Ryuzen handed Ryuku a wooden practice sword, though it was much too large for him. "Hmm. This won't do. It's much to large for you to wield. Let me see what else I have." Ryuzen went to the equipment closet to check what he had in it. Inuzo came into the room to see how Ryuku was doing in training and was surprised at his progress. "Wow! In one day?" Ryuzen beamed "Yeah, he has natural talent. I was just as surprised as you" Ryuzen pulled out a short wooden rod with wrapping on it. "This should do!" He handed it to Ryuku and brandished his own weapon. "Okay Ryuku. I will start off easy. You will defend against me, and then we will switch to you attacking, and me defending. Ryuku agreed "Okay, let's go!" Ryuzen was taken by his enthusiasm and prepared. Ryuzen jumped at Ryuku and struck his sword. "Ngh!" Ryuku grunted and blocked the blow with little struggle. "That's it! Keep it up!" Ryuzen jumped back and charged at Ryuku and began to take his fight a little more seriously. He wanted to force Ryuku to fight seriously as if he needed to defend from an enemy, to put him in a realistic state of mind, where he would learn that he must defend carefully and watch his opponent closely.

As Ryuku deflected his father's swings, he began to feel more and more aware of his fathers strength. He felt an odd sensation, one that made him want to retaliate, rather than block. He wanted to counter him. Ryuku suddenly deflected Ryuzen and then charged at him without warning. Ryuzen did not anticipate this but quickly picked up on it and played it off. "Come at me! Pour your strength into defeating me!" Ryuku charged and attacked Ryuzen without pause, his abilities were exceptional, despite him having no academy training yet. Ryuzen deflect his blows easily, but noticed his son was becoming more aggressive. His attacks sped up significantly in mere seconds. "He's... so fast..! Where did he learn to fight like this?" He thought. "Haaaaaah!!" Ryuku jumped at Ryuzen and crashed straight into his sword. Ryuku broke both his own and Ryuzen's weapons upon his last strike. Ryuzen fell back onto his backside, and Ryuku, panting, stood above him. "Ryuku.... That was spectacular! For having no training you did exceedingly well! This is terrific!" Ryuku beamed and cheered.

Over the next 5 years Ryuku practiced his sword and shuriken skills profusely. He preferred using shuriken over kunai. He liked using a short sword, but longed to fight with a full length weapon instead. Ryuku also studied profusely to improve his general mental capacity and thinking skills. He was good at basically everything, Mathematics and Geography being his only lacking categories, his father saw no big deal in it, he would learn more in time. Inuzo trained Ryuku's jutsu capabilities as well as his taijutsu, though a lot of his taijutsu was learned through fighting with his father during his sword fighting training.

During the time he spent learning more about his sword fighting and Taijutsu, Ryuku kept trying to reawaken his Sharingan but was not successful. It made him angry because he tried so hard but it never worked. Eventually during a spar between him and his father, he became angry and aggressive with his father.

"Ryuku, your attitude is off today-" Ryuku cut his words short with another strike to his sword. "Ryuku calm down! You can't fight like that, it's dangerous to fight angry." Ryuku looked up to him and his eyes presented the Sharingan again. Before anything else happened, Ryuzen immediately stopped the match and informed Ryuku he had achieved awakening his sharingan again. "Ryuku! Your eyes! you have reawakened your Sharingan!" Ryuku stopped and looked into a mirror and gasped. He had not actually seen himself with Sharingan. "This is a glorious moment indeed. Here, come with me." Ryuzen led Ryuku upstairs to the storage closet, where he kept a family relic. Ryuku was shocked when his father gave Ryuku his old Sword, which he was now big enough to wield effectively. "Ryuku, I want you to have this. This sword has been passed down in my family for generations and now that you have awakened your Sharingan, it's your turn to possess it. Please take good care of it." Ryuku beamed. He couldn't believe this moment was his to bask in "Father... I promise I will take good care of it! Thank you so much!" Ryuku was so excited.

Ryuku started training ninjutsu with Izuna, who was a master in both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu himself. Ryuku was naturally good with his Body Transfer Jutsu and Clone Jutsu, so Inuza headed Ryuku off with another E-Rank Jutsu,  Transformation Technique,  one of the more difficult ones, as Ryuku had already somewhat mastered his Clone Jutsu and Substitution or Body Replacement Technique.

"Alright Ryuku." Inuza shouted. "Today you need to learn how to use chakra to perform Jutsus. I want you to make the seals that I make and say it the same way i do." Ryuku nodded and prepared. Inuza weaved the signs Dog Boar and Ram, and yelled "Transformation Jutsu!" *Poof* Inuza became... Well, a rock. More of a small boulder, really. Ryuku giggled and was interested in trying it as well. "Shush, I was never good at transformation Jutsu" Inuza said after returning to his original form. "Alright, now it's your turn kiddo. Give it your best shot!" Ryuku nodded and weaved the same three signs and shouted "Transformation Jutsu!" Ryuku transformed into a large shuriken, though it was missing a few blades. "Alright, that is good. Though it needs improvement. I don't think you can make much use out of a single bladed shuriken, but it's definitely a start!" Ryuku felt disappointed but glad that he could at least get the jutsu to work.

"I see you started training the Transformation Jutsu. How is it going?" Ryuzen approached them inside the training room after returning from the Leaf. He had taken a trip back to the village to check on the progress of the war, and hopefully get information on what caused it. Though turns out the war had subsided just over a year ago, an armistice treaty had been established, though most of the five nations were in ruins already.

"Ryuzen, you've returned. How did it go?" Izuno asked. "It went smoothly, apparently we have been free and clear for over a year, the nations established an armistice treaty. Though.... practically every nation is in ruins right now. Even the leaf is barely getting back on their feet." Izuna sighed. "That's good news though that we can finally return. How is the clan doing?" Izuna asked. "They're holding out. Though... Tobirama was killed." Izuna received a shock. This was terribly unexpected news. "He.... What?! Tobirama?" Izuna stuttered. "Yeah. I know how you feel. I couldn't believe it myself." Izuna sat down and slumped. "This is terrible. We should probably start moving back to the village to assist in the clean up and rebuilding of konoha." Ryuzen agreed, now that things had died down and settled, though the death of the Hokage definitely destroyed morale, he died a noble death and they should return to assist the villiage. "Ryuku, pack up your things. We are leaving in an hour." Ryuzen yelled to Ryuku from the other room. "Okay, Father!" Ryuku shouted. He packed up his sword, his shuriken, kunai and his clothes and headed upstairs to meet with Ryuzen and Izuna and head back to Konoha. Ryuku couldn't wait to get home to the clan and help the village.

Chapter IV: Rebuilding The Leaf Village
Arriving home to the village, Izuna was surprised to see the shape it was in despite the war only having been over for a year. The village was already rebuilding substantially. As they made their way back through the streets of the Uchiha clan's district they were greeted by Kagami Uchiha, who was, to say the least, defeated mentally right now.

"Hey guys. Good to see you return." He said weakly. Ryuzen felt guilty for not being around to assist. "I'm sorry about what happened to the Hokage... I wish I could have been there to assist. Maybe his death could have been prevented..." Kagami shook his head "As much as it depresses me, we must not let his death be in vain. The village must be rebuilt in his honor and we must elect a new Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi is in line apparently. Danzo isn't too pleased about Tobirama's decision. He wanted the position pretty badly." Ryuzen sighed and put his hand on Kagami's shoulder

"I'm proud of you, Kagami, no matter what you go through you always keep your head. I'm glad to be a part of the clan with you." Kagami smiled and thanked Ryuzen for his consoling words before turning his eyes on Ryuku. "Wow, Ryuku. You're getting huge! I see you also have a weapon now. Do you know how to use it?" Ryuku felt a spark of excitement of being acknowledged by an Uchiha Shinobi other than his Father. "Yes! Father taught me how to fight while we were gone." Kagami smiled and patted Ryuku on the head "You're gonna be a strong shinobi one day. Just like your Father." Ryuku blushed and smiled. Parting ways, they said their goodbyes and continued through the city to the center, to find Hiruzen assisting in cleanup of the streets.

"Hiruzen!" Ryuzen shouted. "Hmm? Oh, Ryuzen! You all made it back safely!" Hiruzen yelled back to them. "How is the clean up going?" Ryuzen asked.

"It's going well! I'm sure you already know that Tobirama has perished..." Hiruzen slumped onto a large rock to stop for a break. "Yes... But for his sacrifice, we can work to make the village whole again and rebuild it." Ryuzen began to assist in moving rubble to a larg pile they had developed across the way. "Ryuku, you should help as well, we need all the strength we can muster!" Hiruzen saw Ryuku and was very surprised. "Oh my! Ryuku, is that you? You're getting big now!" Hiruzen chuckled. Ryuku blushed "Heh thank you Mr. Hiruzen." Ryuku said shyly. "Ryuzen, has he awakened his Sharingan?" Hiruzen asked. "In fact, he has! Ryuku, can you activate them freely now?" Ryuku closed his eyes and when he reopened them, Hiruzen gasped and patted him on the head "Oh my, well look at that! You have awakened it!" Ryuku blushed again. "Ryuzen, you were gone for quite some time. Wasn't he only 9 years old when you left? Hiruzen asked  "That's correct." Ryuzen said.

Ryuku spoke up. "Apparently... The first time I used my Sharingan was... When my mom died." Hiruzen felt some sorrow move through his body. "I... Killed the shinobi that attacked her. But I passed out. Then Father found me, and since then we were training to make me stronger." Hiruzen sighed and knelt down to eye height with Ryuku and put his hands on his shoulders. "Your mother was a strong woman, and I know you must have had a tough time with your loss. I, as I am sure your father is too, and Izuna, are proud of you for coming so far to become stronger. I'm sure you heard it before but you will become very strong one day. Perhaps one of the strongest Shinobi in the village!" Ryuku smiled and beamed. "Thank you Mr.Hiruzen." Hiruzen stood back up and smiled "Hm! Just call me Hiruzen, you don't have to honor me with Mr."

Ryuzen sighed "Good to see everybody is in high spirits today." He said. Hiruzen picked up a small boulder alongside Ryuzen and carried it to the pile. "Here we go-ugh!- Yep, despite our loss of Tobirama, he left us all with a heafty burden to carry, and to honor him we must remember that the Village and the people of the village are the priority here." He said with some strain. They tossed a the boulder into the pile and went to retrieve another. "How is the Senju clan holding up? Tobirama's loss must have hit them hard." Hiruzen sighed "They're holding up. They're busy cleaning up the Senju Clan district of Konoha right now however."

Ryuzen felt guilty still for not being around to assist during the war. "I still feel partially responsible for their pain... Perhaps if I was here..." Hiruzen interrupted him "Please do not burden yourself with guilt you do not deserve. This is not because you were not here. Yes, perhaps if you, or maybe anybody else had been there he would not have had to die. But he chose to do what he did for us, and for the village." Ryuzen put his hand on Hiruzen's shoulders "You're a good man too, Hiruzen. You will make a fine Hokage." Hiruzen chuckled "I'm not particularly used to the idea myself yet, to be completely honest I don't even know how I will do." Ryuzen helped him lift up another boulder "Up we go-Hngh!- I'm sure you will do great. You're just as strong as Tobirama was mentally. I am sure you will lead this village to victory and peace for years to come." Ryuzen said, straining. Hiruzen laughed and huffed while carrying the boulder to the pile and tossing it in "I hope so, my friend. I hope so."

It had been a little over 3 weeks that they had been back in the Leaf Village. Ryuku was lifting and carrying things with the other children when he met up with a girl named Isuna Senju whom he had befriended before the war started. She was among the youngest of the Senju Clan, and though the Uchiha were feared by most, and the Senju included, that didn't stop them from becoming good friends. She had long dark brown hair that glowed a beautifully dark red in the moonlight, and dark eyes that shined brightly in any light, even in the dark.

"Hey! Isuna!" Ryuku shouted. "Oh! Hey, Ryuku! Where have you been? It's been like, 5 years." She said. "We had to flee during the war... And.. Mom is dead." He said sorely. "Oh no.... I'm so sorry..." She said weakly. Ryuku just sighed and shrugged "Well, she would want me to move on and help keep the village safe, that's why I was training with my father and Inuza for the last 5 years. I even awakened my Sharingan!" Isuna gasped "Really?? You did? Can... Can I see it?" She asked. Ryuku closed his eyes and opened them again to reveal his Sharingan eyes. "Oh my! It looks so cool!" She beamed. Ryuku blushed and averted his eyes, changing them back. "Hehe... Thank you Isuna.." He said shyly. Ryuku liked this girl, which he made pretty evident. They had been friends since they were only 6 years old, even before that. Ryuku has not been one to befriend people easily, it takes somebody's compassion and good intentions for Ryuku to want to befriend them.

She hugged Ryuku tight and offered consoling words "For what it's worth, I'm sure your mother would be proud of you, Ryuku. Just as your father is. And me." Ryuku blushed... But he felt very happy right now, as this is the first time in almost 6 years he had any contact with Isuna physically, and it felt so warm and safe. When he and his mother and father fled Konoha he was 9 years old with no combat experience and emotional setbacks. Today he was 14, with the beginning stage of the Sharingan, sword fighting training, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu training and Kunai and Shuriken training. Once the village was rebuilt enough he could apply for the academy and become a full fledged Ninja of the Leaf.

"Th-Thank you, Isuna... That means so much to me.." He stuttered. Isuna smiled and grabbed his hand "Come with me, I want to show you something!" Ryuku wanted to go but he felt like they should stay and help. "Are you sure we should leave? We should help them clean up..." He said. "Ohhhh shush, they don't really need us. Besides it's only for a minute or two. It's just up there!" Ryuku was hesitant but decided to follow her. They ran up the hill onto the staircase that leads on top of the Hokage's mansion. "See this view of the sunset? It's beautiful!" Isuna said with gleaming eyes. Ryuku marveled at the sunset... but his eyes slowly turned to Isuna's eyes. He knew it was impolite to stare, but the way they shined in the light, he couldn't ignore them. Isuna looked over at him and he didn't notice, but she said something. "Ryuku, why do you stare?" She teased him "You look adorable!"

Ryuku looked back to the sunset. "You know... This sunset is beautiful. But your eyes sort of.... Caught my attention better." Isuna's face turned red and she looked away from him "Ry-Ryuku, that's so sweet..." Ryuku blushed. "S-Sorry hah.. I just.... Isuna.. I need to say something." She looked back at him again, right in his eyes. "Hmm? What is it?" Ryuku looked down. "I..... I've... Loved you... For a long time now...." Isuna blushed and felt a warm buzz in her stomach she had felt a few times when she was with Ryuku. "We've been friends for so long... And I can't help it. When I look at you I get this feeling in my stomach, and my heart starts pounding. It's crazy... But... I'm not very good at talking about this stuff and I figured I would just scare you away or...." Isuna hushed him and pulled him in for a long hug. "Ryuku.... I'm so glad to hear that... Because I feel the same way. I have always cared about you. My father says I should be wary of the Uchiha, that they are dangerous and they could lead to problems if I associate with them. But.... You're not like the rest of them. You're kind hearted and you're compassionate." Ryuku, being held onto by the girl he cared so much about, wrapped his arms around her and leaned in further.

Down below from a small porch Ryuzen and Isuna's father were looking up at them. "Heh, how did I see this coming" Said Izuna's Father. "Your kid isn't like the Uchiha of old that our clan seems to be afraid of.... Perhaps I was a bit quick to judge him. Being your son, that was ignorant of me." Ryuzen was quick to give him console "Oh my, look, I understand why you had so quickly judged him. In the past, the Uchiha had done some les than attractive and acceptable things, especially because of Madara Uchiha's actions. I don't and have never expected you or the Senju clan to accept us purely because it is how it should be, or because we are both in the same village, especially when you have plenty of reason not to. I'm sure, as well, that the Senju have probably done some things they regret, though none that I have heard of, Hah."

Ryuzen was a very kind hearted man. Which was also why he was loved by the village quite largely. "Hah, I am sure we have. And yes, that is true. Though more of us could be open to understanding each other rather than just judging each other based on things that our ancestors and parents did. Not everybody is the same, eh?" Said Isuna's Father. They shook hands and took to their districts, and let their children be alone.

"Ryuku... I.... I really love you.. I always have." Ryuku blushed and stuttered a bit "I-I.... I-Isuna..." He couldn't even word her name without stuttering. Isuna giggled "You're so cute when you're embarrased." She pulled Ryuku close to her and hugged him again "As long as you are going to be in my life as a general person, or as a friend, then I want you to be with me. As.... My boyfriend." Ryuku felt a mixture of shock, excitement, happiness and warmth shoot through his body at just the thought of calling Isuna his girlfriend. "Your.... Boyfriend?" He said weakly. "Yep! We both love each other, and now we know... So I want to spend my life with you. But you have to take care of me!" She teased. Ryuku became overjoyous and excited and hugged Isuna tightly "I promise I will!" He said with confidence. Isuna giggled "I was only joking about taking care of me silly. You don't have to. But... I do want one thing from you..." She said with a smile. Ryuku felt nervous and was confused. "Wh-What is it?" Quickly, Isuna kissed Ryuku lightly on his lips, to which he responded with a shocked expression. "I....I..." Isuna giggled "Sorry was that too much? I screw things up a lot, hah..." Ryuku smiled and pulled her close, and kissed her passionately, and holding onto her as if he could never let her go. After what seemed like forever to them, they stopped and then embraced for a few minutes under the moonlight of a new era for the Leaf.

"Ryuku.... I love you...."

"I love you too... Isuna.."

Chapter V: Reminiscing, Trouble and New Bonds
About 2 years had passed since Ryuku had returned to the Leaf. After passing the exams he made it into the Genin exams and then the Chunin Exams. At the age of 16 he became a full fledged Shinobi at Jonin rank. By some stroke of luck they were both put on Team 21 with their classmate Yuza, Who belonged to no particular clan, In fact he was a transfer student from outside of the village. But he dropped out of the team sometime later. Their Captain was Kagami Uchiha, who also happened to be a close friend of Ryuku's father and one of the clan members that helped raise Ryuku while he was younger.

Isuna had become a full fledged Kunoichi at the age of 16 as well. Ryuku made his way to the spot he was meeting Isuna at the usual spot he enjoyed to see her at. "Damn I must be early. I wonder how early though... Oh well, I'm sure she will be here soon." He laughed. Just as he was thinking of her, Isuna was running up the road to the tree to meet Ryuku. "Oh no, am I late?" She yelled. "Hah, no no, I'm just early." Ryuku reassured her. "Phew, that's good. Oh, it's so good to see you. Today has been so stressful. My chores are strenuous as hell." Ryuku chuckled "I know how you feel. I have to clean things out of the gutters on our damn roof!" Isuna laughed "Oh my! I hope you haven't gotten hurt!" she said. "Hah, well once I fell down, but I didn't get seriously hurt. Just scraped my knee. Cried like a baby though! Hahahaha!" Ryuku and Isuna shared a heafty laugh together before sharing their first of many kisses of the day. " I love you so much" Isuna said, laying her head on Ryuku's shoulder. "I love you too, Isuna" Ryuku said, laying his head on top of hers and locking his hand with hers as well.

"This tree is beautiful, don't you think?" Ryuku said. Isuna nodded. "It really is. Why do you like it so much here specifically, though?" Ryuku put his arm around Isuna. "My mother used to take me here when I was upset about something. She would sit me on her lap and rock me back and forth, and she would hold onto me tightly and..." Ryuku fought back his emotions for a minute and Isuna layed her hand on his cheek. He sighed and continued. "She would sing to me. Softly. It always made me feel better, no matter how bad my day was." Isuna started tearing up and hugged Ryuku tightly. "*Sniff* You don't always have to hold your emotions back, especially around me. Sometimes you have to release your feelings." Ryuku shrugged. "It's not that I don't want to... It's that I can't. I know my mother wants me to move on and become a strong shinobi to protect the village and the ones I love. I can't do that if all I do is cry over one loss. My mother meant the world to me, but so does the village, my clan and you. And even if she is not physically with me, she will always be with me right here."

Ryuku put his fist to his heart. Isuna saw a glimmer of strength in his eyes, and he smiled, and looked right into hers. "And if I may say, you remind me a lot of her. Though that probably sounds a bit weird haha." Isuna blushed deep red and smiled brightly. "No, I think I know what you mean. I met your mom once, when I was walking with Father. She was so kind and sweet. She called me pretty, and told me I would grow up to be a beautiful woman one day." She giggled. Ryuku smiled and kissed her forehead "You are already a beautiful woman though. So I know you'll only get prettier from here." Isuna blushed again and covered her face with Ryuku's shirt "Oh my goodness Ryuku... That was so sweet." Ryuku smiled and chuckled.

"We should probably be heading home, it's getting late and I have to get back before Dinner starts." Ryuku said. Isuna nodded "I almost forgot, oh no! Damnit, i will be late again..." Ryuku began to worry if she would get in trouble, as she said 'again...' "Hmm.... I know! What if I carried you and ran you there??" Isuna giggled and also worried. "But, what about you? Won't you be late?" Ryuku chuckled. "Well, I may be late but it will only be my first time being late. Plus my excuse is I was out practicing, with you. Heh, we weren't practicing, but I WAS with you." Isuna let out an unsure sigh "Well, alright. Hopefully you don't get in trouble." Ryuku kissed her. "Don't you worry about me."

He picked her up on his back and ran her straight through town, into the Senju district. As he made his way to Senju District, Ryuku ran into his father, walking home from the Hokage's mansion after discussing some things about his upcoming mission in the land of Iron. "Ryuku! Where are you two running to so quickly?" Ryuku stopped and felt a shock, but played it off. "I was running Isuna home because she might be late for dinner if she walks there alone." Ryuzen rubbed his chin. "Well, that's very sweet of you, Ryuku! Just be home as soon as possible, alright?" Ryuku gave his father a thumbs up and a smile "Don't you worry, I will!" and he took off with Isuna straight into the Senju district. Ryuzen thought to himself. "I know Isuna's father won't mind... But I hope that some of the other Senju children don't start any trouble with him. Ryuku can defend himself... But he will likely be ganged up on." His father was worried deeply, but had to keep his mind free of worries right now. He trusted Ryuku not to get into any trouble.

Ryuku and Isuna made thier way through the streets of the Senju District as fast as possible, but out of the shadows a group of Senju misfits tripped Ryuku as he was running by. Isuna flew off his back and Ryuku fell face first into the dirt. These three children were common misfits in the district that were not disciplined because they refused to listen to what people said. Isuna quickly shuffled over to Ryuku. "Ryuku, are you okay??" Ryuku raised up "Yeah, I'm alright, what about-" before he could finish, one of the kids picked him up by his shirt and threw him against the wall, and the two other kids grabbed Isuna and held her down on the ground. "Ngh- Let go of her!" Ryuku shouted. The three kids names were Chujo, Sanna and Isagana Senju. They were prone to bullying kids for money and because they had nothing better to do besides cause problems in the Senju district and in general in Konoha.

"Hah, so this is the guy you're dating eh Isuna? He doesn't seem like much for an Uchiha." Isagana said condescendingly. "Ngh- You let go of him, Chujo! He didn't do anything, he was just taking me home!" Isuna yelled. "hah, yes, he trampled into our territory, an Uchiha in the Senju District is dangerous, he should know that, matter of fact, so should you!" Chujo said. Ryuku was starting to become angry, but he tried to keep his cool. "Listen.... Chujo, is it? Just let me go, and let us go, and I promise I will leave the district. I know I shouldn't be here. But I wanted to walk Isuna home and-" Ryuku couldn't finish his sentence before Chujo struck him in the stomach. "Ghah!!-" Ryuku fell on the ground, with the wind knocked out of him. "Hah, when did I tell you that you could speak to me, Uchiha? You Uchiha are a nuisance and a danger to this village. Why the Hokage keeps you around I will never know. Thanks to your indescretions and subtle attitude, I think we'll beat up both you AND Isuna now!"

Ryuku managed to get to his feet and walk over to Isuna, and shove off Isagana and Sanna's grip. He walked in front of her and stood eye level with the other three kids. His eyes opened and he had activated his sharingan. Ryuku was prepared to fight if it meant defending Isuna and himself. "You can do what you want to me. But you will NOT hurt Isuna. If you lay even a finger on her I will break it!" Chujo laughed heavily "Hah! You think you, an Uchiha, whose strongest Member, Madara, lost to a Senju, Hashirama, can beat a Senju? Just cause you have the Sharingan you get all cocky and cool like some big hero. Well then why don't we see if you can take... THIS!" Chujo threw a strong punch straight at Ryuku, but Ryuku adjusted his eyes and caught it in his left palm, then grabbed Chujo and tripped him, sending him onto the ground with a hard thud. "Guh!- KILL HIM!" Chujo ordered Isagana and Sanna to attack him at the same time. But Ryuku knew what to do. He immediately adjusted his eyes to follow their attack patterns and block accordingly. Once he saw the opening he caught Inagasa's right fist in his left palm, and Sanna's left fist in his right palm, and then jump kicked them both backwards, sending them flying into Chujo and knocking the breath out of all of them.

Just as they were going to attack again, Isuna's father appeared.

"What is going on, here?" Isuna immediately recognized the voice. "Father! These three attacked us! Her father however already knew what happened. "I know, Isuna. Why is Ryuku here?" Isuna shuddered, hoping he wasn't going to be in trouble. "Uh.. He.. Please tell me he isn't in trouble...?" She asked with a worried tone. "After the admirable defense of my daughter I just witnessed, I would like to think not. But you didn't answer my question." Isuna smiled and sighed with relief. "He wanted me to get home before i was late for dinner, again... But Chujo and his gang stopped us." She said. "I see."

"Oh damn, it's her father, guys scram, now!" The three boys charged away, but her father quickly caught them all within seconds. "Where do you three think you're off to?" He bellowed. "You're gonna take a little visit with me to the Hokage to decide your punishments and duties to the village you will uphold until further notice!" He bellowed. "As for you, young Uchiha, Ryuku. Please escort my daughter home for me. You are also welcome to stay for dinner, if you like. If you choose to, I will inform your father where you are." Ryuku felt a huge weight of nervousness lift from his chest. "Uh.. uh, Yes sir!" Ryuku yelled. Her father leaped over the wall into the city with the kids. "Isuna, are you okay?" Ryuku cooed. Isuna stood up and nodded her head. "Yes. But Ryuku, are you? He hit you..." Ryuku shook his head "please, my dad did worse during my training." Isuna sighed "Ryuku that was amazing. I've never seen you fight before." Ryuku kissed her and grabbed her hand "We should get you home. Isuna nodded and hurried along with Ryuku.

As they reached Isuna's door, Ryuku was hestitant but Isuna invited him inside. Ryuku had never been inside of the home of the rival clan of the Uchiha. But Isuna insisted. He stepped inside and popped off his slippers. "W-wow... It's so nice in here." The house was lit with light red lamps, and decorated with family relics and ornaments, the drapes were hand made by Isuna's mother. The floors were pristine, almost unscratched and a beautiful shade of redwood. "Hehe, we keep it clean because Isuna's father is a clean freak, and I am really O.C.D." Isuna's mother came into the entryway to greet Isuna and her boyfriend whom she had not yet been aquainted with. Ryuku thought to himself "Wow... No wonder Isuna is so pretty. Her mom is absolutely gorgeous!" he thought. "So you're this Ryuku that Isuna can't stop talking about! I must say, you are a very handsome young man." Ryuku blushed and shied away. "Oh... Why thank you, Ma'am..." Isuna's mother giggled and smiled "Oh please, just call me Misa. Ma'am is so formal for someone like me. I'm not noble or anything, just your everyday housewife and mother."

Ryuku felt more comfortable around her.... Somehow she reminded him of his own mother. "Yes... Okay. Misa. Your name is very beautiful, and.. well I see where Isuna gets her looks from as well." Isuna blushed and layed her face in Ryuku's shoulder. "Oh my, how kind! Well, thank you!" Ryuku smiled "It's my pleasure." Ryuku felt comfortable already here. Isuna's father walked in as Misa led Isuna and Ryuku into the dining room. "I'm back from the Hokage's office." Misa was concerned "Why were you there?? Has something happened?" He chuckled "Hah, no, nothing serious. In fact it involved our guest, Ryuku." She became skeptical. "What was it about?" He explained. "Ryuku was escorting Isuna home so she wouldn't be late for dinner. Apparently, those three runts Chujo, Sanna and Isagana attacked them from the shadows. Ryuku however displayed a very admirable defense of our daughter and took all three of them down without hardly even striking them. He didn't even attack them after he took them down. Like an honorable opponent, he let them get back up, giving them a chance to fight again if they wanted to."

Ryuku blushed. "Heh, I think you give me too much admiration..... I just did what was right... They threatened to hurt Isuna, and I wasn't going to let that happen, even if I got beat up." Misa was very surprised at his attitude about this. "Wow.... You are a very honorable young man. truthfully, I would not have expected this from an Uchiha. I know it may sound like I judge too harshly but, I'm sure you understand why." Ryuku nodded. "After Madara and the nuisances like Chujo and his gang that come from our district as well, I definitely understand." Misa passed Ryuku a plate of very decorative food and a warm cup of spearmint tea. "You haven't been properly introduced to Isuna's father, have you?" Ryuku shook his head. Isuna's father took a sip of his tea. "My name is Tessai Senju. Pleased to meet you." He reached for a handshake. Ryuku complied to which he completed a very strong handshake. Ryuku smiled and said "You know my name but I shall reintroduce myself, my name is Ryuku Uchiha. Very pleased to meet you."

Tessai smiled and drank some more of his tea. After dinner was finished, Ryuku was going to leave, but Isuna wanted Ryuku to come up to her room and talk with her for a little bit before he left. The thought of being in Isuna's room, alone with her made him nervous. "Ryuku-u-u-u, please? Come upstairs with me for a bit! Besides I want to show you my room. I have drawings and stuff!" Ryuku was nervous, and wasn't sure if it was okay. Tessai spoke up "Isuna, I don't know if it is very appropriate just yet..." Misa however thought it was a good idea. "Now Tessai, this is a good way for them to bond! Besides he is a respectful boy. He won't do anything he knows he shouldn't do yet. And our daughter is 16 years old. We can't control her life forever." Ryuku wasn't planning to do anything except spend time with Isuna, that much is true. "Sigh... Well, as long as he doesn't try anything." Isuna beamed. "See, now come on, don't be a fraidy-cat." Ryuku pouted "Oh shush. Lead the way dammit." Isuna smiled and hopped in the air "Yay! Come on!" She grabbed Ryuku's hand and led him upstairs to her room.

At her door Ryuku felt really nervous but excited at the same time. Isuna opened the door and pulled him in. To his surprise it was a lot more girly than he expected. There were a lot of stuffed animals on her bed, she had light cream colored walls with dark burgundy tinting, he curtains were black with flower designs, presumably done by Misa. Her bed was big enough for two (How Ironic for this circumstance), and the blankets were white with red and pink roses on them. She had a desk on the far left side from the door, on the wall, with a large mirror and a few drawers on both sides of it. The desk was cluttered with paper and drawing supplies and a few notebooks which she used for studying and sketching. To the right was her closet which Ryuku was polite not to snoop inside of.

"Come sit with me on the bed Ryuku" Isuna beckoned him over. He was really nervous and was afraid of what might happen. He sat down next to her and she grabbed a notebook from her desk to show him some drawings she did. "I'm not very good at drawing but, I did my best!" Ryuku definitely thought otherwise. He marveled at them and thought they were great drawings. "No, these are great! You're really good Isuna." Isuna blushed. "Aw, thank you, love. But I bet you're just saying that cause we're dating huh..." Ryuku shook his head. "No, I really mean it. These are very good drawings indeed. You're talented at a lot of things, just like you're talented at healing jutsu and persuation." Isuna chuckled "and i am also untalented at a lot of things, like fighting, and singing." Ryuku poked isuna's cheek. "You're not bad at fighting, you just dislike conflict. You like to help your comrades by healing them when they need it and boosting morale. You also have a damn shiny silver tongue. Plus, I have seen you fight. And we have sparred numerous times. You're not bad at fighting love, you just prefer the less violent route of the Shinobi." Isuna smiled "Ryuku... You know how to read minds, I swear."

Ryuku chuckled and kissed Isuna, who decided to pull him in further for a longer kiss. Ryuku became nervous but excitement overcame his body and he didn't want to stop now. They kissed longer, and Isuna eventually pulled Ryuku down onto the bed with her. They were kissing enough that both of them had little time to breathe in between. The longer it lasted the more he wanted her. It's like he lost all control of his actions and the only thought in his mind was Isuna. As she began to pull off Ryuku's shirt, Ryuku remembered what Tessai had said however, and quickly stopped. "What's the matter, love?" Isuna said softly. Ryuku was nervous again "I don't think we should do this yet." Isuna pouted "But come on.... Look how close we are. Don't crap out now." Ryuku looked into her eyes and set the mood to serious. "Listen. I know you want this to happen. I do too..." He sighed. "But I don't want to do this yet, in your house when I JUST met your parents... We've been together for 2 years now, but I think we should wait a little longer and let your parents become comfortable with me before we do this. Okay?" Isuna smiled and kissed him once more. "Okay Ryuku. I love your noble attitude, it's great." Ryuku felt his nervousness leave his chest finally. While he knew it would be a while before it happened he was ready to wait. Isuna walked Ryuku downstairs to the door, where he said goodbye to her family, and headed home. Ryuku remembered his day and thought to himself "Despite that fight.... Today has been a spectacular day."

Chapter VI: Team 21's New Mission Pt. I
Ryuku and Kagami greeted Isuna at the gate when she arrived there. The team was to meet because they had a mission in The Land of Earth, to find the source of multiple murders in succession. Apparently there is a pattern to it but the police forces can't make it out.

"Ryuku!" Isuna shouted as she landed in front of them. She was a couple minutes late but they were alright with it because they weren't exactly on time themselves. "You're late, Isuna. What kept you?" Kagami said "Let me guess, were you putting on makeup to impress Ryuku?" Isuna blushed "Uh-I-" Kagami and Ryuku chuckled "I'm just kidding, Kiddo. We weren't exactly on time to be honest." Kagami laughed. Isuna still blushing, laughed it off "Heh, well, what are we doing Sensei?" Isuna said. Kagami crossed his arms. "Ah, well apparently there have been a string of murders and they're sending us to find the source. Their police force has been dispatched but they can't seem to make out a pattern so we're gonna find it and tail whoever is doing this." Ryuku put his hand on his head "Hmm... Do we have any actual information on the case besides its location and the general problem?"

Kagami shrugged "Unfortunately, they didn't give me any other information." Kagami sighed. "This case has been open for a while though, which brings up the idea that something is being kept from the light." Ryuku sighed as well, crossing his arms and leaning on the gate. "Damn. Well, when are we headed out?" Kagami stepped outside of the gate and sat on a rock for a minute. "In a minute. I need to review a few things before we head out." Ryuku sat on the ground next to Isuna and awaited approval to head out. Kagami read through his assignment papers for a few minutes and then spoke up. "Ah!" Ryuku and Isuna jumped "What?"

Kagami had figured out something important about the mission. "I have a theory that the person we want might actually be in the Village Hidden in the Stone." Ryuku was skeptical, much like Isuna. "How did you figure that out?" They asked. Kagami smirked "The times of death are close together, I guarantee it. The different locations the bodies were located at were near the village by a few miles, and they were all found within only about a mile between each other. That's the most I have been told, and from that I think the person who is doing this is in the village." Ryuku stood up "Well damn. Then I suppose it's time for us to head out?" Kagami stood up and smiled "Yep, let's get going!" Ryuku Kagami and Isuna shouted "YEAH!" and they set off.

Jumping through the trees, Ryuku activated his sharingan to patrol the area within the land of earth. Kagami had the ground route with Isuna, who was staying in front of the group. "Ryuku, do you see anything?" Kagami shouted. "Hmm...." Ryuku surveyed the area surrounding them and couldn't see much other than just forest and animals. "As far as I can see there's nothing dangerous around us." Kagami kept his pace and passed up Isuna. "Isuna, I need you to stay up there with Ryuku. I have a bad feeling about this area." Isuna became worried. "What is it sensei?" Kagami didn't really know himself what was making him uneasy. "I don't honestly know... That's what worries me." Isuna hopped up to Ryuku and warned him to keep his eyes peeled.

"Ryuku, keep your eyes open. Kagami is really uneasy about something." Ryuku searched the area again. Suddenly he called out "Kagami, stop!" Kagami halted immediately. "Ryuku what do you see??" He hopped down to the ground with Kagami and Isuna. "We're.... Surrounded?!" a group of rogue stone ninja suddenly jumped out and surrounded their team. "You three! Hand over the money you have or we'll kill all three of you." Ryuku thought to himself "Are these guys for real...? What do we look like here? it must be because of Mine and Isuna's appearances..."

Kagami kept his head and replied. "We have nothing to give you sadly. We're here on a mission to find a murderer within the land of earth. We have no business with you so if you would let us be, we would appreciate the lack of violence." Kagami's tone was dead serious. If we had to fight, we would likely win, even in a 3 on 6 fight. But Kagami would rather avoid a fight that we don't need to deal with. "We don't want any trouble here, guys. We just want to solve this problem and leave." Ryuku said seriously. The 6 men closed in on them and drew their weapons. "We told you that we were going to kill you if you didn't give us your money." Kagami activated his Sharingan "......I guess it can't be helped then." Ryuku activated his Sharingan, as well as drew his sword, and Isuna prepared her kunai and shuriken.

One of the ninjas approached Ryuku and Kagami who with their sharingan, anticipated a punch from from him and simultaneously struck him in the gut. "Ryuku! Behind you!" one of the ninja had came up behind Ryuku, but Ryuku had already seen him coming and struck him in the face with a backwards kick "I know, I know." After Ryuku lowered his leg, the other 4 ninja backed away, wanting to contemplate a strategy before continuing to attack. "Ryuku, keep your eyes on them. I have an idea of how to get away from here without conflict." Ryuku eyed the other four ninja who were finishing their huddled positions. Kagami spoke up. "You four. You saw what we are capable of doing. This is my final warning to you. We wish to avoid further violence and chances of death here, we have a job to do and we only want to complete it and depart."

The four ninja eyed one of their men who was taken down, who ran up and grabbed Isuna from behind and dragged her over to the other four. Ryuku tried to stop them "Isuna!" Kagami, however, already saw this coming and had prepared for it beforehand. "Ryuku, stop. I want them to consider peaceful resolution before we do anything rash. And I have something up my sleeve if they choose not to, don't worry..." Kagami whispered. Ryuku sweated. He was worried but he knew he had to trust Kagami because he was his Sensei and he knew what he was doing. Kagami spoke up. "I will ask you only once. can we please come to a peaceful solution, or not? I will not ask again." Kagami's sharingan spun once, telling Ryuku to prepare to do something. Ryuku didn't totally understand what Kagami was planning but he rolled with it. The ninja however had a different perspective on this situation. "What are you going to do, here is a better question. Will you give us your money, or will you instead give us your partner, this woman?" Ryuku became angry and wanted to attack them now. "Dammit... Kagami..." Isuna spoke up before they covered her mouth to keep her quiet.

"Guys don't do anything for them, just leav-" Kagami put his hand on Ryuku's shoulder "Let me handle this." Kagami spoke up again "We already told you we don't have money to give to you. And we certainly can't give you our partner." The 5 men laughed "Well then i guess we'll just take her from you then." The fire in Ryuku's chest grew stronger and it took everything he had not to kill all of them right now. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of here... Right after we beat you both to a bloody pulp and then make you watch us take advantage of her." Ryuku became enraged, but Kagami still held him back. "Why do you hold me back? I won't stand for this, we have to help Isuna!"

Kagami pulled Ryuku in close "Shut up, calm down and listen." He whispered. "I have smoke bombs on me. As soon as I say 'Now,' I will throw one, and once it explodes, jump in and take Isuna while they're disoriented and we will run past them and out of the woods. The exit is only a mile ahead at running speed." Ryuku nodded and layed his eyes on the 5 ninja again who were preparing to attack. Kagami prepared as well, and gave his final reply. "Well then.... I guess we will have to settle this..... NOW!" Kagami threw a smoke bomb at their feet and it exploded into the air. Ryuku jumped in and pushed the ninja holding down Isuna off of her and took her out of the smoke. In the commotion, they slipped past the ninja and ran out of the forest into the Land of Earth.

Chapter VII: Team 21's New Mission Pt. II
As Team 21 made their way to the Village Hidden in the Stone, they were greeted by the Tsuchikage's subordinate who led them to the Tsuchikage's mansion. "Hello, I presume you are the leaf shinobi we sent for this murder case?" Kagami nodded his head and greeted the man with a firm handshake "That's correct. I presume you're here to take us to the Mansion?" The Subordinate nodded his head "Right this way." They walked through the streets of the Stone Village, which seemed to have been affected by the war substantially, like the Leaf. They were about as far along as the Leaf however, the village was in great condition for only 2 years of rebuilding.

Once they reached the Tsuchikage's office, the subordinate opened the door for them and showed them inside. "The Tsuchikage has eagerly awaited your arrival." Kagami nodded and the team walked in. The tsuchikage had worried they got lost on the way. "You took your time. I hope you didn't get lost on the way here?" Kagami chuckled "Heh, no. We ran into some rogue ninjas- From your village it seemed. The Tsuchikage knew this might have happened. "Yes, they're nuisances. We have had people go to stop them but they either joined up with them or were intimidated into running back." The Tsuchikage chuckled and sighed. "Our police force isn't the... strongest suit for a police force, you might say." Kagami laughed "I'm sure they'll get better at their job sooner or later." The Tsuchikage peered out the window of his office down on the courtyard.

"This case... We have had such a difficult time with it." Kagami became serious. "Lord Tsuchikage, I have reason to believe the culprit may very well reside here, within the walls of your village." The Tsuchikage turned his head to Kagami with a worried expression "How do you know that?" Kagami shook his head "The bodies locations were dangerously close to the village. By not more than a mile, probably less." Kagami sighed. "They were also no more than a mile apart from each other, more than likely, even less. I don't have particularly enlightening information but, I am somewhat of a very intuitive person."

The Tsuchikage sighed "This is more serious than i had anticipated... Though it doesn't come as a surprise. We already have 3 suspects in line that are inside the village. I would ask that you three investigate them and see what you can get out of it." Kagami nodded "That's good, already a lead. Things are on our side today." Isuna spoke up. "What are their names?" The Tsuchikage gave Kagami a paper with three pictures, and their names jotted on it, which read "Nozoma Yusiku, Tochi-San, Hirashi Yusuke" Kagami pocketed the note and bowed his head to the Tsuchikage. "Thank you, lord Tsuchikage. We will find the culprit." Ryuku had a funny feeling but he kept it to himself for now. The Tsuchikage had his Subordinate lead them to the rooms in the Mansion. "You all may stay here as long as you need until you find out who is behind these murders. Your food bills will be paid for courtesy of the Tsuchikage." Kagami smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you very much."

Kagami sat down on his bed, Ryuku stood against the wall and Isuna sat down in a chair next to him. "Well, I suppose we should jot this down and get to work shouldn't we?" Kagami said following a sigh. Ryuku nodded and suggested "We should probably individually tail them so we aren't caught and noticed by them." Kagami agreed and stood up. "Alright. I will tail Nozoma, Ryuku, you should tail Hirashi, and Isuna will tail Tochi-San" The three of them high fived and set out. Nozoma had strong chakra and came outside about 20 minutes from Midnight every night to apparently check his mail and water his garden. Though from the authorities reports, once or twice during the week, he leaves for several hours somewhere, but they couldn't tail him effectively as he covered his tracks quite well. The fact that he covered his tracks at all instantly promoted suspician in Kagami's mind and he decided to take his trail. With his Sharingan, he could find Nozoma easily, and he could follow his trail even if he covered it up.

at around 11:46pm, Nozoma left his house. Kagami spotted him immediately, despite not even having his SHaringan activated, and followed him from the rooftops. "There you are..... Where are you going this late, Mr. Nozoma?" Nozoma headed to the center of town. Kagami hopped a few rooftops to where he could clearly see the center of town and layed down so he wouldn't be spotted. Nozoma appeared to be meeting a girl here. "Ahh, a girl. I see. She is a beauty." Kagami said under his breath. Nozoma and the girl talked for about 30 minutes before he began to leave. "Ah, done are we? Where are you headed next?" Nozoma was walking towards the entrance to the Village. "The.... Entrance?" Kagami was suspecting him a lot now.

On the other side of the village, Ryuku was already tailing Hirashi. Hirashi's chakra is weak so knowing which person was him wasn't a problem, especially at night and with Ryuku's Sharingan, which possessed a uniquely powerful sight enhancement. Hirashi leaves his house pretty often at night, though only once during the night in the week he left, for several hours.... much like Nozoma. "Hmm... Where are you going at midnight?" Ryuku muttered as he watch Hirashi meet somebody in the center of town.... much, again, like Nozoma. It appeared to be a woman. "I see.... A girlfriend, perhaps?" Ryuku said. FOr about 30 minutes Ryuku watched them talk about things he could not make out. Though with his sharingan he could read some of what they said from where he was at. From what he could make out, he said "Find, Hide, Suspecting," and a few words he couldn't decipher very clearly. "This is peculiar.... And those words... This is very peculiar indeed..."Ryuku whispered.

Isuna on the far right side of the village was tailing tochi-san, who had just lef this home as well. "Finally, where are you going?" He headed towards the center of the village and met up with a man that looked like hirashi. "Wait... That guy looks like hirashi. And.... Is that... Ryuku?"

Hirashi stood up and left the women, and started heading towards the entrance of the Village. "The entrance? What the hell...? Wait, is that Isuna?" Isuna was tailing Tochi-San, who had arrived behind Hirashi almost immediately. "Okay, this is NOT a coincidence..." Isuna hopped over next to Ryuku who was about to hop over to the wall to see where these two were heading together. "Ryuku! Why are they together?" Ryuku shook his head "I really don't understand what's going on." Kagami jumped over the wall and startled Ryuku and isuna. "Hey you two, did you see them meet up?" Ryuku and Isuna both nodded their heads. "I assume they're going to meet Nozoma. I think we might have found our culprits. but we should retire for the night and use those trees to cover ourselves tomorrow night, and we will follow them further then." Ryuku and Isuna both agreed and they headed back to the mansion.

The next night, Ryuku, Kagami and Isuna all headed to the same spot by the wall to follow them again. Ryuku looked out and adjusted his eyes. Looks like nozoma is heading again. Kagami noticed Hirashi and Tochi-San coming up the road and began to feel extremely unnerved. "Here they come." The three hopped into the trees and hid quickly before they could be spotted. Tochi and Hirashi walked past his tree and gained on Nozoma who greeted them both with a handshake. "Kagami!" called a voice quietly from behind him. Ryuku and Isuna were in a tree just behind him. "This is so odd. I didn't expect that they were collaborating, or even meeting together tonight." Ryuku whispered. They peered out to the road to see that the three men had gone into a small hut, just about a mile from the village now.

"This is becoming very close to being solved. We should probably just break in and bust them red handed." Ryuku whispered. "That isn't a good idea. we don't actually know if they're the culprits, we only know that they're out together at a late time at night, outside of the village. The parameters of their position right now could easily be just coincidence." Kagami said. "We should move to the house and try to see what is inside." Ryuku hopped to the ground, Kagami landed next to him and Ryuku caught Isuna who clumsily fell out by accident. "Thanks... hehe." Isuna blushed and felt embarrassed. Ryuku smiled and chuckled "You should be more careful." They hustled up to the hut and stopped under a small Window. "Alright, I'm gonna peer in and see what they're doing in there." Kagami whispered. As he peered in, he spotted a girl tied up inside. But none of the three men were inside. "There's a girl in there! And no sign of the three men...." Ryuku jumped up, and carelessly deactivated his Sharingan. "We have to help her!"

Ryuku charged towards the door with no hesitation "Ryuku, wait! Dammit." Kagami ran after him and Isuna followed suit. Ryuku and the team were inside the hut, alone with the girl who Kagami was about to untie. The three men were gone seemingly. "Don't worry. We'll untie you and get you out of here.... Wait... Haven't I seen you before....?" Suddenly Kagami got a very dark feeling in his chest. "No way.... This is.." Suddenly Ryuku was struck in the back of the head with a shovel. "Ryu-" Isuna was knocked out cold by a strike to her jaw. "Son of a-" Kagami was cut short and knocked out by a strike to his head. Before he passed out he heard a low key and strong voice, that said "Heh... Thought you could tail us and not be found out, eh? Bad luck for you...." Kagami let out a breath and passed out.

Turns out, the girl was being met by these three men was the same girl, each time, in order to lure victims who were tailing them to their demise. Apparently what the Tsuchikage neglected to mention was that more than 5 of the police forces shinobi were reported dead; almost exactly a mile from the village, and only about a mile between each other, like the reports.

Ryuku awoke several hours later with a severe headache and his eyesight slightly impaired for the moment. "agh... My head... What happened... *Gasp*" Ryuku noticed he was tied up, and so were Isuna and Kagami. "What the... Hell?!" Ryuku struggled to get out of his bindings but he couldn't break free. Suddenly Nozoma bursted into the room. "Oh look, one of you's is awake. Good, you can watch the next part, our favorite part." Ryuku got a deathly feeling in his chest that he had only felt when he was with his mother right before she died. "What is that supposed to mean?" Ryuku barked. "Hah, you've got bite. You'll see!" He grabbed Ryuku by his hair and dragged him out into an open room. They were in a much bigger building than they were in before he was knocked out. "Wh-Where are we?" Ryuku asked. "Underground, in our secret cave that we execute our victims in." Ryuku was now fully aware that these men were the culprits they were searching for.

THe other two men dragged Isuna and Kagami out of the cell, and slid Isuna over next to Ryuku. "Ngh-Ryuku!" Isuna shouted. "Isuna! Are you okay?" He said. "my head hurts... These guys are them aren't they?" She asked. "I have no doubt in my mind. What are you going to do to our sensei you murderers?" Ryuku yelled. The three men laughed, and Nozoma replied to Ryuku. "Murderers huh. We're redeemers. The tsuchikage has always looked to make our village safe, so he created a police force full of totally redundant fools with hardly any combat experience." He shouted. "Then when good men like us applied we were denied, told we were not fit to be in the force because we were too headstrong." Hirashi spoke up "I had a family that was killed by a REAL murderer. And because of the police forces incompetence, they never found him." Ryuku understood their anger with the police force... but. "I understand how you feel. My mother was taken from me unfairly and even i could barely do anything about it...." Ryuku said with console. "But this is NOT how to go about redeeming them, or bettering the village. This is senseless murdering, and it's not right! Your family wouldn't want this!"

Hirashi kicked Ryuku in his side. "Shut the hell up! You don't know anything about me or my family." Ryuku spit up blood and growled. "Ryuku, that's enough. Let me handle this, Okay?" Kagami tried to get Ryuku to stay calm and trust his sensei, but Ryuku was done letting him do everything for him and alone. "No! You always do our jobs alone, even when we're with you. Let us help for once!" Hirashi kicked Ryuku once again "I said shut the hell up, kid!" Kagami managed to writhe out of his binds and kick Nozoma in his stomach. "Guh-Dammit, kill him!" Ryuku began to panic. "No! NO! Kagami! Run!" He struggled to writhe out of his binds but couldn't get free. Nozoma threw a kunai straight at Kagami and hit him in his right breastplate "Ugh! Dammit...." Kagami fell to the floor and Nozoma kicked him onto his back. "Ngh- fine.... Do what you wish. Just leave them alone. Please." Nozoma laughed "Hah! After that little stunt, hell no. You all die, here." He ripped the kunai out of Kagami's breast and drove it straight into his stomach. Kagami cried out in pain and spit up a large amount of blood. "KAGAMI!!!!!!" Isuna screamed. "N.....no....K-Kagami....Sensei....." Ryuku couldn't even speak.

Kagami's eyes closed and Isuna began to sob hysterically. Nozoma was laughing really hard. Ryuku however, started to become more and more vicious, his hands began to writhe furiously trying to escape their binds. The ropes around his wrists began to burn and cut his skin. "I'll....... I'll kill... ALL OF YOU!!!!" Ryuku screamed, and snapped the ropes on his wrists and feet off completely. He jumped at Nozoma and threw a punch straight into his throat, which sent him flying backwards into the wall and dropping a large boulder onto his chest. Isuna was completely frozen at Ryuku's sudden strength. "Ry....Ryuku?" She stuttered. Ryuku charged at Hirashi, who threw three kunai at him. Ryuku caught one of them and deflected the other two with it, then threw the one he caught straight at Hirashi's heart and killed him instantly. Isuna thought to herself "Jesus.... Is this really Ryuku? I have never seen him this violent. i didn't know he was that good with Kunai either..."

Ryuku immediately turned to Tochi-San who weaved the signs for Stone Fist Jutsu. He swung his stone armored fist at Ryuku, but Ryuku punched it and shattered the stone surrounding it and breaking both his own and Tochi's fists. Ryuku grunted in severe pain but did not faulter, and then used Chidori Spear to impale him. He then aggravated the chakra flow and the end where Tochi was held up exploded with multiple blades and impaled Tochi through every side of his body. This also electrocuted him severely and killed him rather painfully. After he died, Ryuku retracted the spear, and turned to Isuna who was still in shock. *Pant* *Pant* "Are... Are you okay?" Ryuku panted. Isuna nodded and beckoned him to untie her. "Ryuku.... Your eyes...." Ryuku was confused but this was not the time to worry about himself, even despite his injury. He cut her binds and ran over to Kagami, who was still breathing, barely. "Jesus christ, he's alive!" Ryuku shouted. "Isuna, I need you to bag the bodies up, and then pile them up so i can bury them." Isuna complied and Ryuku deactivated his Sharingan.... Which had reached Mangekyō Stage. From the stress of thinking he just lost his Sensei and one of his closest friends, Ryuku had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Isuna piled the body bags into a small wagon, and Ryuku carried Kagami on his back with a quickly dressed wound and they hustled back to the village.

Arriving in the Village, The Tsuchikage had been awaiting their return, worried terribly. "You three.... what happened to you?" the Tsuchikage asked. "We killed the men responsible. The three suspects were all collaborating. they had a grudge against the police force for not being strong enough to handle responsibilites, and one of them had a personal grudge involving his family's murder." The Tsuchikage had remembered when the murder case was announced resolved, even though they had never found the man responsible. "I suppose I am to blame for that. I should have hired more competent men, and i should have made the ones I did hire keep searching." Ryuku shook his head. "No matter what caused this, it is still not right to murder innocent people for doing their jobs and not succeeding every time."

The Tsuchikage escorted them to the infirmary, where Kagami was to sleep for about 3 days. Ryuku and Isuna stayed with him the entire time. when he woke up he was surprised to see himself in the infirmary with Ryuku and Isuna. "Hah, I guess i got myself hurt again..." He looked over at Ryuku who was in a cast for his broken wrist, and immediately felt guilty. "Ryuku... Your wrist.... What happened after i was taken down?" Ryuku opened his eyes to reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan. Kagami gasped in shock. "You..... Awakened... Mangekyō stage?!" Ryuku deactivated it again, knowing not to use it unless he had to because it slowly seals the more you use it. "Yeah... After you were taken down... we thought you were dead. It threw me into a rage, and i killed the three of them by myself." Kagami sighed and smiled. "Wow... You're probably further ahead than me now... i haven't even awakened mine yet. And you took down the culprits alone. I'm proud of you, Ryuku. Truly." Ryuku smiled. "All because of you and Father, Sensei."

Isuna walked in and beamed at Kagami finally being awake. "Oh, Kagami, you're finally awake!" she shouted. Kagami smiled "you can't kill me that easily. How long was i out?" Ryuku spoke up. "About 3 and a half days. We thought for sure you were in a coma." Kagami sighed. "This has been one hell of a week... i will need a lot of tea when we get home." They all laughed.

After a few hours, they all headed to the entrance to the Village to finally head home after a long 5 days. The Tsuchikage sent them off with a parting gift; A stone statue of a Golem, symbolising strength and empowerment. They shook hands and said their goodbyes, and team 21 set off to return to the hidden leaf.

Chapter VIII: Happy Birthday, Ryuku!
It was Ryuku's 17th birthday! Today was October 24th, the day of Ryuku's birth, to which he was delighted to see Isuna standing at the gate waiting for him to return from a long walk he took this morning. "Hey, you!" She yelled. Ryuku ran up to her and gave her a quick hug. "Hey! What are you doing out here this early?" He asked. "I could ask you the same thing." She giggled. Ryuku stretched "I was taking a walk to wake up." He said straining from his stretch. Isuna smiled "I bet you know what day it is, huh?" Ryuku chuckled "Nah, you could remind me though" he teased. Isuna ran up and hugged Ryuku tightly and shouted "IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!" Ryuku smiled and wrapped his arms around Isuna tightly. "You're damn right"

"Happy birthday, my love." Isuna kissed Ryuku and layed her head on his shoulder as they walked through the streets of Konoha. The ground was covered with beautiful leaves the shade of dark purple, red, yellow and green, and the early morning dew shone on the grass like glitter. "Fall is so beautiful, don't you think, Ryuku?" Isuna said softly. Ryuku nodded. "Yes, it is... Though I think I now something or someone who is much more beautiful." Isuna giggled and blushed "Oh shush.... You are just too sweet sometimes you know?" Ryuku chuckled. The tree with the bench under it had been stripped of its leaves which were scattered around the floor beneath it, and all around the bench. Ryuku and Isuna took a seat to take in the beauty before getting ready to head to the Hokage's mansion for their new assignment. For some reason, Ryuku wasn't filled in on anything, in fact... Both Kagami and Isuna were, but they refused to inform Ryuku of anything about the assignment.

"So... Isuna, will you tell me anything about this assignment? Plea-a-a-ase?" Ryuku pleaded. Isuna smiled and shook her head. Ryuku was totally confused. "No-o-ope! You have to talk to the hokage to be informed. He ordered us not to release information to you or anybody else outside of his presence." Ryuku frowned. "But why? Surely there is a reason." Isuna giggled. "Surely there is, but I am not of the knowledge of what it entails." Ryuku sighed and crossed his arms. "Ugh, this su-u-ucks." Isuna laughed out loud by accident. "Oops...?" she said under her breath. Ryuku peered straight into her eyes. "What's so funny, eh?" Ryuku said seriously. Isuna felt embarrassed that she almost let out the details. "N-Nothing.... Just a thought about something earlier made me laugh..." Ryuku could see right through her though. "You know you can't lie to these eyes." he said with a grin. "I swear it was nothing!" Isuna said. Ryuku chuckled and poked her cheek. "Uh huh, if you say so."

Ryuku realized it was almost time to go to the mansion anyway. "Well, we have to head there now anyway, so telling me doesn't matter." Ryuku hopped off the bench and stretched. "We should get moving so we aren't late." Isuna nodded and grabbed Ryuku's hand as they ran to the hokage's mansion. Walking through town they marveled at the beauty of the sun rising over the wall of the village. "Wow... that's really pretty." Isuna beamed. Ryuku nodded and picked a small flower growing in a small pot behind him. "Hey, look at this." Ryuku said, showing Isuna the flower. "Ooh, *sniff* it smells nice, and it's beautiful!" Ryuku fashioned the flower into Isuna's hair and kissed her forehead. "There, now you have something that makes your beauty stand out." He said smiling. Isuna blushed and giggled. "You're so sweet, ugh."

After a short walk they reached the mansion. Upon entering, the Hokage was, obiviously, anticipating Ryuku's arrival. Isuna managed to slip away from Ryuku while he wasn't looking. "Ah, you're here! Good to see you again, Ryuku!" Hiruzen said with a smile. "You too, lord Hokage. Please.... please please please tell me what my assignment is. Isuna and Kagami refuse to tell me." Hiruzen laughed and gave a big cheesy grin. "Haven't I told you to call me Hiruzen, child? I am friends with your father after all!" Hiruzen said. Ryuku scratched his head "Sorry sorry, Hiruzen. Anyways, please tell me." Hiruzen was still smiling like a child. "Well Ryuku, your mission is here in the city. It's nothing super special. Well, maybe it is..... SURPRISE!!!!" Hiruzen shouted and suddenly a large sign dropped and hung from the ceiling with the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RYUKU!", and balloons and confetti fell from the ceiling as well. Isuna, Kagami, Ryuzen, Tessai and Misa, and some of Ryuku's classmates had all shown up to throw a party for Ryuku's birthday. For Ryuku however it felt very strange. He had never actually celebrated his birthday like this.

"I... Uh, wow..." Ryuku stuttered. Isuna came up and kissed him. "You okay? You look sick." Ryuku shook himself steady. "Uh, yeah... Sorry, this is just really new. I'm not used to celebrating like this." Ryuzen patted Ryuku on the back. "I think we should have warned you, but I know you are excited." Ryuku nodded. "Of course! Thank you guys so much for this. I really appreciate it." Misa put her hand on Ryuku's shoulder. "You kids should have some cake! I baked it myself!" Ryuku saw the cake on the table they set up. It was a chocolate-on-chocolate cake with white frosting on top and caramel dripped in a decorative design on the top and run down the sides. The letters on top said "Happy 17th Birthday, Ryuku" Ryuku, Isuna and their classmates went up to cut themselves a piece. "This cake is so pretty. I almost don't want to eat it. Hah too bad I'm still going to though!" Isuna said with a knife in hand. Ryuku and their friends laughed.

After eating their fill, Ryuku eyed his gifts. There were only a few but Ryuku was glad to have even gotten this party. "Ryuku, go ahead an open them!" Ryuzen said with a grin. "Well alright. Excitement damn" Ryuku chuckled to himself. "Here, open mine first!" Isuna beamed. "Open it open it open it!" Ryuku nodded his head "Yeah yeah calm down I'm doing it." Ryuku pulled the ribbon that was tied on the box loose and removed the lid. Inside the box was another much smaller box. "Oooooh, I wonder what's inside-OH A SMALLER Box! How thoughtful!" Ryuku said sarcastically teasing Isuna. "Oh shut up! Open it silly." Ryuku chuckled and opened the smaller box. Ryuku smiled and stood up to kiss Isuna. "This is awesome. Thank you so much." Inside was a necklace with half a heart that said "My Heart." This may seem odd and just nonsense, but Isuna had the other half of the heart that said "Your Heart." The one she wears means that her heart belongs to Ryuku, and the one she gave Ryuku means that his heart belongs to her.

Isuna showed Ryuku the other half she was wearing and smiled brightly "I love you so much, Ryuku." They hugged for a few short minutes before Misa handed him her gift. "Here! Open mine now! It's very special so you take care of it." Ryuku was excited and quickly undid the intricately wrapped gift. Inside was a scarf with the Uchiha crest outlined with the Senju knitted into each end. "Oh... My! This is wonderful." Ryuku beamed. Misa smiled brightly "I'm so glad you like it! It took me a while to make, and Isuna had the idea to combine the two crests!" Ryuku looked over at Isuna who was smiling brightly as well. "Thank you guys. This is great."

Ryuku thanked them once more. Hiruzen handed Ryuku his gift, which was the last of the batch. "Here you go Ryuku. This is from me and my wife personally." Ryuku was surprised "Hiruzen, you didn't have to get me anything... I know you're short on money these days." Hiruzen chuckled "I appreciate your humbleness but please don't worry. It's your birthday, and I felt like i should buy ya something!" Ryuku smiled. "Well thank you." Hiruzen smiled as well. "Don't thank me yet, just wait and open it!" Ryuku felt excited and began unwrapping it. When he removed the lid, the contents shocked him. Hiruzen and his wife had an outfit made specifically for Ryuku.

It consisted of a black coat similar to a robe but lighter, shorter, and there was no zipper to zip it closed. The undershirt had the standard pocketed-vest of Jonin rank shinobi entirely black and fitted to holster his Sword and it's sheathe on his back, and a low hanging hood that covered his face when it was completely over his head. On the back of the coat was a large Uchiha Crest. "This..... is amazing!" Ryuku beamed at this beautiful outfit he had been given by the Hokage himself. Hiruzen smiled "Glad you like it kiddo! Don't muck it up, now, that took a bit of money to make and a lot of time." Ryuku nodded his head and with that, they day had been concluded. They weren't even aware that it had been more than almost 6 hours of them enjoying themselves and eating. Ryuku and Isuna headed out, but before that Isuna wanted to ask her parents something. "Mom, dad, do you think... I could stay over at Ryuku's tonight?" Misa was perfectly fine with the idea, Tessai however was a bit concerned. "I don't know if that is a good idea...." Misa pushed him "Now come on, remember what i said? We can't control her life forever. She's almost 17 too. I think a night at her boyfriend's house is perfectly fine." Tessai sighed. "Well... Okay. But please don't do anything.... Unclean." Misa broke in "And if you do, please be careful!" Isuna blushed and Ryuku laughed out loud "Guys...." Misa giggled and Tessai just smiled. Ryuku grabbed Isuna's hand and they walked home to Ryuku's house.

Ryuzen Ryuku and Isuna arrived at the house and proceeded inside. Ryuku and Isuna sat down at the table to eat dinner which Ryuku felt was necessary to make for him and Isuna himself. However, Ryuzen told Ryuku he should open one last present from his father. "Ryuku, I have one last present for you." Ryuku walked into the living room and Ryuzen handed it to him. The box was pretty small but it felt like it had something soft in it. Clothing possibly. Ryuku took off the lid and peered inside. When he saw the contents he teared up and hugged his father. "Oh father..... I miss her so much..." inside was the engagement ring that Ryuzen had made specifically for Minaza. "Shh.... Don't cry. You know i hate it when you cry because you already had enough sadness as a child." He consoled. "Listen, I want you to keep this for when you marry her." Ryuzen whispered. Ryuku's eyes widened. "I.... Okay. I will. I promise." Ryuzen patted Ryuku's shoulder. "That's my boy."

After they ate, Ryuku and Isuna went up to his room. This time Ryuku had a feeling things were going to get serious between them. Isuna was really pushy tonight though. "Come onnnnn we didn't get very far last time. We should just skip to it tonight!" Ryuku shook his head. "I know you want to do this but I want to go slowly if we do... I don't like to rush things. You know that." he said seriously. Isuna smiled "Well alright. Besides I find it a lot more romantic going slowly now that you mention it." Isuna slowly approached Ryuku and kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around him and slowly grinding against him. Ryuku quickly became engulfed in feelings and slowly pushed them to the bed. Once they reached it, Ryuku playfully pushed Isuna onto the bed. Isuna giggled and Ryuku wrapped his arms around her again and started kissing her neck lightly. Every little peck sent a jolt down Isuna's spine that made her more and more excited. "Ah... i love that..." She said softly. Ryuku trailed kisses up and down her neck, pecking lightly and softly. Isuna pulled back and grabbed his hands, slowly easing him onto the bed with her as he slowly leaned over her. "I'm kind of nervous..." Isuna said. Ryuku chuckled. "Says the one who wanted to 'Jump right into the next part.'"Isuna blushed "Shut up....." Ryuku smiled and continued to kiss her slowly. Isuna lifted off Ryuku's shirt, and Ryuku did the same.

Next thing they knew they were in bed together. Giggling and moaning went on for hours. Ryuku woke up a few hours after they had fallen asleep with a sigh. "It's still dark out huh? Must be pretty early..." He looked over at Isuna who was still asleep. "Heh... She looks beautiful when she sleeps." Ryuku layed down and looked at his ceiling. "Well.... I would like to think that was one of the best days of my life..... Not to mention I'm sleeping next to the best girl in the world... I couldn't really ask for much else..." He thought. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off into sleep once again. His last thought before sleeping was

"Happy birthday, heh, to me."

Chapter IX: Isuna Senju
"Father, what are we learning today?" Isuna asked her father excitedly. "Just wait, you'll see!" Tessai said with a smile. They walked to the plains just outside of Konoha. There they found three adult height logs and a large number of broken and rusted shuriken strewn about the grass. Tessai sat down on a large rock and Isuna sat down next to him. "I want to teach you something special," Tessai said. "it's a jutsu that I created myself and it is completely unique in our family. It is called the Secret Technique: Red Life Barrier. You will use this technique to create a large barrier that can conceal more than 5 people at its beginning stage and protect them from virtually any damage." Isuna beamed "Wow! It sounds very useful!" Tessai chuckled "It is not easy to learn either, this may take some time." He said. "There are three stages. The first stage i told you about. The second stage is Great Red Barrier of Life. The final stage is Final Barrier of Eternal Life. The second stage barrier holds approximately 10 to 15 people along with the 5 it can hold from the first stage. So that is around 15 to 20. The final gate can hold nearly 50 to 100 people, plus the 15 to 20 from the last two stages, can repell any jutsu and heals those within it." Isuna beamed again "Wow, that sounds amazing! This could help people and I could master it and-" Tessai hushed her. "However. The final stage expends nearly every ounce of your chakra and requires the aid of another to use." Isuna still awed by the thought nodded her head in distracted agreement. *sigh* "Okay. are you ready?" He shouted. "Yes!" Isuna cheered.

Tessai readied to show Isuna what seals to weave and showed her them a few times so she could remember them better. "Okay Isuna, the seals for the first barrier are Ram, Dog, then clap your hands together, then Boar, and finally Tiger. Then you yell Secret Jutsu: Red Barrier of Life!" Tessai said. Isuna smiled and beamed "Okay! I understand!" Tessai took a readied stance. "Let me demonstrate." Tessai weaved the signs a few times without saying the jutsu name to show her how to do them. "Okay, now I want you to try!" he said. Isuna readied herself and weaved the signs. "Secret Jutsu: Red Barrier of Life!" the barrier appeared, though because it was her first time, it was very meek, and her energy was expended in one go. *Pant* *Pant* "Wow.... already I'm.... tired...." she said exhausted. Tessai taught her a meditation that returns her chakra pretty quickly, but her energy was what was expended, not her chakra. "This means we should probably stop for a few hours while you rest. I will teach you some things about your family history and lineage."

Isuna nodded and stumbled over to her father. "Wow... I am really weak right now..." She said weakly. Tessai laughed "For your first time, that barrier was pretty good." Isuna gained her footing and sat down on a large rock next to her father. "So... so I... did a good job?" She panted. "Yes, a very good job." Tessai said with a comforting smile. "Now... let's talk about our lineage."

Isuna's family are direct descendants of Hashirama's family tree. They're some the only people of the clan left that had any blood ties to Hashirama's family itself rather than just the clan as a whole other than Tsunade Senju. This resulted in Tessai's mastery in Wood Release and expertise in Earth and Water Release, Misa's mastery of Wind Release from the Uzumaki clan, and Tsunade's mastery of Healing Jutsu. So far, Isuna's jutsu styles have been best demonstrated within the Water Release, and the Earth Release. Through the ages, Tessai's family fought within itself, internal power struggles ravaged them and eventually his family was desecrated and left his mother and father alone in their family tree. When Isuna was born, they were living on the streets of the Senju district, trying to survive. At the time, Hashirama was still the Hokage, and he had a home prepared for them and a proportionate sum of money to support themselves on for the first few years they lived in it.

After Hashirama passed away and Tobirama was named Hokage, the first Shinobi World War began to flourish. Isuna was about 6 years old when it started and during the war fleed with her mother under their house into a cellar that was sealed by an invisible chakra barrier while Tessai was away fighting the war with the Hokage. After the War had subsided, Tobirama had died, and Tessai before they left to fight, had told Tobirama he had a bad feeling. Tobirama shared this feeling and told Tessai that should he die, that Hiruzen was to be the next Hokage. Period. Tessai ageed and Hiruzen was immediately appointed after the events of the war.

".....And that is what happened and how we came about." Tessai finished. Isuna was ready to begin practicing again but wanted to know one more thing. "Father.... Were the Uchiha really as bad as the Senju say they are?" Tessaid let out a sigh. "I can't say they aren't.... But the ones like Ryuzen, and his family are rare. Their eyes reflect their hearts and it is why they are feared." Isuna had heard the Metaphor before and understood what it meant. The Sharingan is caused from emotionally strenuous incidents, or difficult circumstances, and because of that, it has been known as the Eye that Reflects the Heart. "I see..... Well, I am sure people can change! As it seems, our family was not perfect either..." She said with confidence. "But I know people can change! They just need somebody to show them that they're strong enough to change themselves!" Tessai looked upon his daughter with pride. "We raised you..... But I had never anticipated that you would have such admirable convictions..." he thought to himself. "I am very proud of you, Isuna." He said to her with a smile, placing his hand on her head. "You are a very bright and emotionally strong girl, and I am sure you can show people how to be strong!" Isuna smiled brightly and hugged her father. "I love you, father." Tessai smiled with pride. "I love you too, Isuna."

After they embraced, Isuna elected to try her new jutsu again. "I want to do it again!" Tessai rubbed his chin. "Are you sure? Do you feel better?" Isuna nodded contently "Yes! I feel great! Better than before even!" Tessai chuckled "Well, I know from experience that you are not ready to use this jutsu again just yet. But I can help you learn a new Earth Release jutsu." Isuna beamed. "Another new jutsu already? What is it?" She shouted. Tessai stood up and lifted the large rock they were sitting on, and threw it across the plain. He weaved the Rat seal and yelled "Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin!" and two large plates of stone rose up from the ground and crushed the large rock between them.

"That is the new Jutsu." Tessai said. Isuna cheered. "Wow, father that was awesome!" Tessai smiled. "You are good at Earth Release already as well. This is a new jutsu, so I want you to practice this as much as possible." Isuna nodded her head contently. Tessai sat down in the grass and observed her Daughter's practice. "Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin!" She created two medium sized slates of stone and brought them together at a medium speed. "I did it!... though that seemed a lot weaker than yours, Father." Tessai patted her on the shoulder. "Hah well that is cause you're not as good as me just yet. For a first try, that was great. You had almost no trouble, and the speed was enough to take down somebody who was not paying attention." Isuna beamed at her fathers praise. "I'm gonna master it tonight!" She yelled. Tessai laughed. "Well! Determination is good, but can you truly stick to your word, that is the question!" Isuna Weaved the sign and yelled the jutsu name again, creating slightly bigger slates. "I will! I know I can!" Tessai was having trouble not smiling at her daughter's determination. "You are just like your mother..." He thought.

4 hours passed by as Isuna pushed herself beyond her limits to achieve mastery that night. "Isuna, it's getting pretty dark out... Perhaps you should rest so you can better practice tomorrow." Tessai said. Isuna was exhausted but refused to stop until she created a barrier at least another inch bigger than the one she had just made, which was more than 3 times the size of the first one. *pant* *pant* "I can't..... stop yet.... I have to create them just.... one inch bigger..." She panted. Tessai was worried she would pass out soon. She yelled out the jutsu name again and weaved the rat seal. "Earth Release....: Bedrock.... COFFIN!" Expecting better results, two slates more than 7 inches larger than before exploded from the ground and crashed together in an explosion of rubble and dust. "YES!" Isuna cheered. Tessai was surprised at the velocity the two slates came together at, it was enough to crush an opponent completely flat. "Good job Isuna! Now let's go home so you can get some rest, you have definitely earned it." Isuna fell down on her knees and was close to passing out. "I...... think i.... overdid it..." She said weakly. Tessai chuckled. "damn girl. You exhausted yourself. But you did a good job." he thought. He picked her up and carried her back to their house with pride.

The next morning, she woke up with pride in her step and hopped into the living room for breakfast. "Oh, you're awake!" Misa said with a bright smile. She had been up for the last couple of hours. "Morning, mother!" She ran over and gave her a hug before asking where her father was. "Where is father?" Misa pointed out the window. "He just left. He said he was going to the plains you two went to yesterday." She said. Isuna ate her breakfast quickly, Isuna put on her shoes and headed after him. "I'm gonna go after Father!" She shouted on the way out. "Be careful! Make sure you don't hurt yourself!" Misa shouted back. Isuna persued her father and made her way to the plains just outside of the village. Upon arriving, she saw her father practicing his Taijutsu and decided to observe him while he trained. "Wow... he is really good at fight." Isuna thought. "I wish I was that good at Taijutsu."

Tessai already knew Isuna was watching him and responded after a few minutes. "Come on out, Isuna, I know you're there." Isuna came out of the trees and sat down. "Hi father! Are we going to train together agan today?" She asked. Tessai smiled "Of course!" Isuna beamed and stood up. "Am I ready to start on the Secret Jutsu again? I think I might do it today!" Tessai rubbed his chin. "I don't know.... I'm not sure you are ready. You nearly passed out last time." Isuna frowned. "But you said I did good for a beginner!" Tessai scratched his head. "I know I did, but that doesn't mean you're ready to use it again in only one day." He said seriously. "Doing it again might affect your health without at least another day of rest." Isuna sighed "But father.... You know I can do it don't you?" Tessai shook his head. "Okay, please don't overdo it this time though. Try to focus your chakra so that you don't expend it all trying to form it. Try to partially form it so it is thin but visible, that will teach you to control your chakra expendature." Isuna nodded with content and prepared. she weaved the seals and shouted "Secret Technique: Red Barrier of Life!" and formed a thin red barrier with little to no effort. "Very good job! You focused your chakra perfectly." Tessai said with content. Isuna cheered. "Yes!!"

Over the course of the day, she practiced her focus, and took breaks for about an hour each time to lessen the drain on her chakra. Eventually she was able to master the first barrier. "Okay, now i want you to try to form the real thing. It will not be easy, but with the practice you have been doing it should be easier than before." Isuna nodded. With an exhale of her breath, she prepared and weaved the seals, and shouted the jutsu name once more. "Secret Technique: Red Barrier of Life!!!" The barrier was formed at full capacity with all it's properties. The odd thing was that Isuna felt almost no expendature, as if she had casted the jutsu with virtually no Chakra expendature. "Good job, Isuna!! You did it!" Tessai cheered. Isuna jumped up and down in frantic happiness before feeling ill suddenly. "I....Oh wow i am dizzy....." She fell down and layed in the grass as the barrier disappeared. She had felt the way she did because she considerably over exerted herself, and her expendature took her chakra to a dangerously low level.

"Damn..! Isuna!" Tessai ran over to her and picked her up in his arms. She was panting and sweating from her sudden loss of chakra. "Damn.... I need to get her home now!" Tessai rushed home quickly and burst into the house in panic. "Misa! Get me a pot full of cold water, a washcloth and some blankets!" He shouted. Misa was in panic mode. "What happened to Isuna??" She said with worry. "Listen to me, just grab what I asked for and meet me in her room, now!" He ordered. He rushed her into her room and covered her up in her bed. "Isuna, baby can you hear me? If you can you have to try to control your breathing, you will hyperventilate if you don't." Isuna was panting quickly, but her breathing started to slow down to a normal pace. She opened up her eyes with blurry vision to see her father looking down on her from her left. "D.... Daddy...? I'm scared...." She said weakly and softly. "I know sweetheart, don't worry. You'll be okay. You just over exerted yourself today. By morning you will feel just fine, I promise." Tessai said with consoling words. Isuna closed her eyes again and fell fast asleep. Misa came in quickly with the things Tessai requested. "Is she okay?" She said, worringly. "She came to for a minute. She's stable and asleep now." Tessai grabbed the washcloth and the pot from Misa and wetted the cloth for Isuna's forehead. He placed it gently on her forehead and kissed her cheek. He whispered softly into her ear "If you can hear me, don't try to get out of bed if you wake up. Just try to sleep. I love you. goodnight, Isuna." He and Misa exited the room and closed the door.

The next morning they came into the room to see her still sleeping soundly, her fever had died down and her breathing was normal again. "good. Her fever has gone away, and her breathing is normal now." Tessai said softly to himself. It was enough to wake Isuna however. "Daddy...?" Tessai greeted her with a warm smile. "Yes love, it's daddy. How are you feeling?" Isuna smiled. "A lot better." she said softly. Tessai placed his hand on her cheek "I was worried about you... I don't think i have ever been as worried about you as i was last night. i came back multiple times to check on you, still sound asleep." He said. "I'm glad you're okay. I shouldn't have let you keep going though. I should have made you wait, and-" Isuna stopped him "Stop it father... I shouldn't have made you let me keep going. I should have stopped and rested. This was my fault, not yours." Tessai kissed her forehead. "I think we're both at fault. But you should rest longer. I'll bring you lunch in a little bit." Isuna smiled, the kiss on her forehead made her feel warm and protected. "Okay... Thank you." She said softly. Tessai exited the room, and turned to say one last thing to Isuna.

"I love you, sweetheart."

Isuna smiled and layed her head back down.

"I love you too, father."

Chapter X: Kagami and Ryuku
Ryuku got out of bed earlier than usual today. Kagami had asked Ryuku to meet him alone in the Training Fields to learn a Genjutsu Technique that Kagami himself worked on and created. "Alright.... time to get my ass up." He thought. "I wonder if Dad is home yet? He was out pretty late again.... Probably getting drunk with the girls again. Pervert..." Ryuku walked downstairs and to no surprise found his father passed out half hanging on the couch. "Yep... sigh, just as I figured. Better wake him up." Ryuku grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him with considerable force and knocked him into a panic. "Guh- I'm up! I'm up!" he shouted. Ryuku chuckled "Good, you haggard. How damn late were you out last night?" he said sternly. Ryuku had come to the age where he had to lightly scold his father to get his attention sometimes. "I.... I don't think I can remember.... All the sake, Ryuku. That's all I can say for sure."

Ryuzen laughed. Ryuku just shook his head with a light smile. "You damn drunk. Anyway, I need to head out in a minute. Kagami called me for something important today, can you make dinner tonight?" Ryuku said, putting on his shoes and his coat he got for his birthday a few weeks ago. "Sure, just don't be late again!" Ryuzen said, straightening himself up. Ryuku looked back with a cold expression. "Oh, you're one to talk, mister 'stays-out-all-night-getting-drunk-and-hitting-on-women'. Sometimes I wonder if you're really my damn father....." Ryuzen let out a hearty laugh and Ryuku followed suit. Afterwards, Ryuku waved goodbye and headed out to the training grounds to meet Kagami.

On his way through the forest, Ryuku passed a girl sitting on a bench that was crying. "She's crying? What for? Perhaps I should find out." Ryuku thought. He walked over and sat next to her. "What's the matter, little one?" He asked softly. The girl wiped her eyes and responded. "My mommy.... I can't find her... I'm lost now and scared..." She began to tear up again. Ryuku felt terrible and felt he should prioritize this before anything else. Kagami mentioned this training was imperative but he would understand why Ryuku was late. "Ah... Well listen, why don't we find your mother? Come on." The girl became surprised at Ryuku's offer. "R-really, mister?" She said softly. "Yes! I can't just abandon a little girl, that would be awful of me." The girl smiled. "O-okay! Um... Who are you mister?" She asked. "My name is Ryuku. What is your name?" He asked with a smile. "My name is Shi'ina." She said. Ryuku gently took her hand and they set off down the road into the forest to find her mother.

"Sigh, where is that boy?" Kagami said, sitting on a large rock in the training fields. "I told him our training today was imperative... Oh well, I am sure it was something important. I guess i could just read Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World for the 11th time." He said, pulling out the book. He was a big fan of reading and was fond of Haruki Murakami's works.

Kagami and Ryuku's family are very connected. Ryuku is very attached to Kagami and sees him as his older brother and best friend. Kagami was with his family when his mother gave birth to him and was even around to help her recover from childbirth. During Ryuku's childhood, Kagami helped train Ryuku until he became of age to join the academy and begin studying to become a Genin. Because Kagami and Ryuku's family were one of the rare cases in the Uchiha clan, where they were not particularly affected by the Curse of Hatred due to their sharingan, Tobirama came to trust them considerably and Ryuzen was given a position next to him, alongside Kagami in Team Tobirama as well. <span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">During the  First Shinobi World War<span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">, he and his team-mates Danzō, and Torifu went on a mission with  Team Tobirama<span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">. Pursued and ultimately surrounded by  Kumogakure<span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">'s  Kinkaku Squad<span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">, the group discussed their options, where Kagami noted that Koharu's plan of an ambush wouldn't work and that instead a diversion was needed to lure the enemy away. He then listened as the Second, who had nominated himself as the decoy, appointed Hiruzen as the Third Hokage. <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:0px;">  <span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">A close friend of Danzō, he saved the latter many times, becoming one of few people Danzō truly trusted.

<span style="line-height:23.7999992370605px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">Chapter X-2: The Find and the Climb
Ryuku and Shi'ina searched for sometime but couldn't find her mother. Shi'ina was beginning to become worried again. "We haven't found her yet..... Mommy where are you..." She said weakly. Ryuku was worried too but he still had an idea of where she might be. "now now, don't lose hope. I told you we would find her, and I promise we will" He said with confidence. "Let's go to the entrance. If I was a father and I couldn't find my daughter, the first place i would check is the entrance to see if she ran home." Ryuku and Shi'ina walked down the road while Ryuku scanned the area for her mother with his Sharingan. "So Shi'ina," He said curiously "How old are you?" Shi'ina smiled "I am 6 years old." She said. Ryuku smiled. "6 years old, huh. Why were you and your mother out here anyways?" He asked. "Mommy and i were picking flowers for my grandma's grave." Ryuku wondered why her father was not present. "Where is your daddy?" He asked curiously.

<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Meiryo,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.7;">"Daddy left when I was a baby.... Mommy told me that he was bad to her and that he left because he didn't want to be with us.... I wish he was here." Ryuku felt sadness well within his breast. This girl needs her mother, so he was more content than ever to find her now. "I'm sorry that happened. I know how it feels. My mommy isn't here anymore either. I lost her as a child as well. Though mine didn't leave... She passed away. But you have stayed strong haven't you? For mommy right?" Shi'ina smiled again. "Yes! I will be strong for mommy and make her proud of me! But... we have to find her first!" Ryuku smiled. "Well then we better get moving!" He said. He thought to himself "She reminds me of a tiny Isuna. I need to find her mother quickly."

Upon arriving to the entrance Ryuku was met with disappointment, finding that Shi'ina's mother was not here either. "Aww.... She's not here either...." Shi'ina said disappointedly. "sigh.... She has to be around here somewhere, damnit." Ryuku heard somebody shouting from behind them, pretty damn close to them in fact. "Wait a minute...." He activated his sharingan and scanned through the trees and spied a woman being ganged up on by three men. They appeared to be ninja, though they weren't from around this village. "Shi'ina, what does your mother look like?" Shi'ina scratched her head remembering what her mother looked like. "Mommy had long brown hair, today she was wearing a long green dress with an apron over it...." She said, unsurely. Ryuku however was aware she was not wrong. "Come on, I found her!" He shouted. Shi'ina beamed and grabbed his hand.

Ryuku and Shi'ina flew through the trees and behind some bushes. "Are those men gonna hurt mommy??" She worried. Ryuku put his hand on her shoulder. "Stay here. I'll save her from those men and unite you two once again." He said consoling her. "Okay! Get those mean men, Ryuku! You can do it!" She said with a supportive attitude. Ryuku smiled. "Yes ma'am!" The three men were about to attack Shi'ina's mother. "Heh, this one's pretty boss. We could take her back to the hideout and sell her. Or we could just use her..." One of them said. Another laughed, and the other spoke up. "We could. That is true. We haven't had a woman around in some time have we?" he said with a chuckle. Her mother was afraid but she was ready to defend herself. "You.... will not! I will take you all down myself!" Ryuku stepped out of the shadows in time to stop them from attacking her during her confident words. "Who the hell are you?" One of them said to Ryuku, pointing his kunai in his direction. "Nobody you will remember. Mangekyo Sharingan!" Suddenly the man dropped his kunai and began to scream and grasp his head. Ryuku deactivated his Mangekyo and chuckled. "Weak minds are weak. Nothing more. You didn't even realize you were under a genjutsu the whole time you were threatening her.

The other two men stumbled back. "An.... Uchiha? Damnit, we don't stand a chance... Pick him up and let's get out of here. We are no match for this guy." Ryuku nodded. "Good idea... I don't want to hurt you unless I have to. Leave before I change my mind." The three men fled, and Shi'ina's mother asked who her saviour was. "Who are you...? How did you find me?" Ryuku smiled. "My name is Ryuku Uchiha. I think you lost somebody..." He beckoned Shi'ina over. "Come on, Shi'ina, your mom is safe now!" Her mother's eyes lit up at the sight of her daughter whom she had been searching for, for hours. "Oh my goodness, Shi'ina!!!" She shouted. "Mommy!!" Shi'ina cried. Ryuku smiled and crossed his arms. "I found Shi'ina about a mile up the road alone and crying and I didn't want to just abandon her. So I told her I would help her find you. Thank god I thought of coming here to the entrance!" He said. Shi'ina's mother hugged Ryuku, who felt a bit awkward but returned it. "Thank you so much, I was so afraid she was taken or got hurt or.... something. How can I repay you?" Ryuku shook his head "Oh, no no no, please. I don't require a reward for returning somebody's daughter to them." He said with a smile.

Her mother smiled, and Shi'ina came up to Ryuku to say goodbye. "Thank you Ryuku. Will you come visit sometime in the Village?" Ryuku smiled. "Sure. I live there too ya know, so of courrse I can." Shi'ina cheered. "Yay!" As they parted ways, they waved goodbye and Ryuku, finally able to continue his way to Kagami, set off to the training grounds. "Sigh well now Kagami will probably yell at me. Oh well, it was worth getting her to her mother."

Ryuku finally met with Kagami after about another hour of hopping through the trees at twice the speed before he found Shi'ina. "There you are! Where were you? It's been hours!" Kagami said with irritation. Ryuku scratched his head. "Well, I WAS coming here but I found a little girl on the road and she was lost and couldn't find her mother...." He said smiling with nervousness. "Long story short we found her mother and she was beng attacked, so I helped her out. Hah, I put their leader under a genjutsu before he even knew we were in the shadows!" Kagami smiled. "Ah, so it was important at least. That's very noble of you, Ryuku. She did make it safely right?" Ryuku smiled. "Oh yeah! Perfectly fine. Just a little discouraged at first due to the disappointments when we didn't find her." he said. "Well that's great! You said you used a Genjutsu?" Kagami asked. "Yeah. I used my Mangekyo." Kagami beamed. "Did you now? Good, that means you can use this." Ryuku was confused.

"Okay what did you bring me out here for today, Kagami Sensei? I've been wondering since this morning." Kagami explained his technique to Ryuku. "I created a Genjutsu myself a few years back. I wanted to test it myself with Mangekyo but.... I have a feeling i won't be seeing those days, and to be honest I would rather not experience the pain it takes to awaken it, I'm glad you only awakened it when you thought I died instead of when one of your friends actually did, you suffered enough.... well you know." Ryuku knew what he meant. "Anyway, I don't expect to live long enough to achieve it. I know it is strong when used with just my normal sharingan, but I want you to use it with your Mangekyo and see what it will do. Then you can pass it on in the future like I did to you."

Ryuku felt honored and surprised. "I.... me? Kagami..." Kagami put his hand on Ryuku's shoulder. "I have known you since you were born. I love you like a little brother and you're one of my best friends, and one of the best comrades i could ever ask for. You are definitely worthy of receiving this." Ryuku smiled. "Well, alright man. let's do this!" Kagami explained the process. "The genjutsu is just called Kagami; as you know my name literally means Mirrors in english. This genjutsu, from my experience, will be used, and the opponent will not  be able to tell until he attacks you. Once his sword connects, your body will turn into a mirror replication of himself instead and damage him. This will continue until you desire to release him."

Ryuku was excited. "This sounds pretty depleting. How bad is it on your chakra?" he asked. Kagami rubbed his chin. "Well, I can't say for sure. And with the Mangekyo, it may strain your eyesight even more than normal. Which is why it should be used for short durations and very rarely. It's a lot more hazardous than a standard Genjutsu." Kagami said. "You activate it with your right eye."

Ryuku was prepared to try it. "Shouldn't you have to do something to give me the ability to cast it?" Kagami had developed this technique himself, though the fact that it was possible at all means that it was created by either somebody else centuries ago. otherwise Ryuku would not be able to adopt this ability. "Just clap your hands together and close your left eye. Leave your right one open, and like you learned in the academy, focus your chakra and disrupt mine. The genjutsu will look similar to most standard ones that are in this one's category, i will attack you and if you reflect me, then you have done it. It may not work the first few times."

Ryuku prepared. clapped his hands together and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan in his right eye. "Kagami." His sclerae filled with tiny red veins meaning that something had obviously happened when he said the name of the Genjutsu. Kagami's pupils dilated and he was within a genjutsu. "Okay.... now to test it. He attacked Ryuku and the Ryuku in front of him took the damage instead of Kagami. "Damn. well this was a powerful genjutsu nonetheless. It'll take him some time but he can master it. Better release it before i mess up his eyes." Kagami yelled "Release!" and escaped from the genjutsu immediately. Ryuku was perfectly okay, in fact he seemed almost immune to the effects. This genjutsu tired out Kagami pretty easily during practice sessions. Perhaps this was caused from the use of the mangekyo.

"Did it work?" Ryuku asked. Kagami shook his head. "Not this time. Do it again if you can." Ryuku casted Kagami again, and Kagami went into another genjutsu. This time, when he attacked, instead of just taking the blow, his face turned into Kagami's. The damage was not returned to Kagami, but this meant it was beginning to work. "Release!" Ryuku noticed his eye was magnifying the effects of his genjutsu. "Didn't work?" Ryuku assumed. Kagami shook his head again. "no, but it will soon. This time when I attacked you, your head became mine. It looked silly but it became clear that you can do this." Ryuku imagined his body with Kagami's head and it made him laugh.

After about two or three hours, Ryuku finally managed to get the entire body to change. but something different happened alongside this victory. "Okay, one more time." Ryuku was exhausted, not from his eyes being overused but because he had been expending chakra. "Phew... Alright.... Kagami!" inside the genjutsu, kagami noticed something. This time, the Ryuku inside of the Genjutsu attacked him, but when he tried to deflect or retaliate, the attacks were returned to him. so, in sum, Ryuku mastered the technique, in one day, more than 5 to 6 days faster than Kagami did, and he even created something within it that makes it unique to Kagami's own. "this is fantastic...! Release!"

"You alright?? You took damage so I assume it finally freakin worked!" Ryuku said with worry. "Yes!" Kagami said with excitement. "I'm fine. But something odd and amazing happened." Ryuku was confused. "What do you mean?" Kagami stood up and brushed himself off. "Your genjutsu attacked me instead, but when i tried to attack, my attacks were reflected, as well as being able to take damage from your genjutsu. So you just made this technique even more unique to it's category." Kagami said with admiration. "Ryuku.... you really are a special child. Something about you says you are going to be one of the strongest uchiha in history since Madara." He thought to himself. Ryuku cheered. "Hell yes!!!" Kagami and Ryuku walked back through the forest roads to the village and talked about their feelings on the way there.

"Ryuku, something about you.... Your strength and aspiration, your undying convictions, your willpower and uniqueness. The fact that you changed, and mastered my genjutsu in only a few hours, when it took me almost 8 days to fully master and complete it, you are something else." Kagami said with greatfulness. "I am happy to be a part of your life and certainly happy you are a part of mine, brother." Ryuku stopped. Kagami suddenly felt like he might have said something wrong. "did i...?" Ryuku suddenly hugged Kagami, who was surprised to say the least. after a few seconds he returned the hug however. Ryuku spoke up. "You might as well be related to me, you're my brother. If it wasn't for you and Dad I don't think getting through even Mother would have been possible. You have no idea how much i love you guys, and how much you mean to me. I can't thank you enough for being here for me no matter what...." Kagami teared up. "Ryuku.... Let's go home buddy." Ryuku smiled and looked up at the moon. "yeah... let's go."