Strong Like You: A Naruto Fanfiction ON HIATUS

Chapter 2. Tamasu of the Uchiha

"I'm sorry. I know he used to train and play with you kids when you were younger. They're holding a funeral tomorrow. Your mission has been delayed until the day after so that we may attend," father said.

I went to bed that night barely sleeping a wink. Tamasu had only been 14 years old. It was things like this that made me work harder so I could put an end to all the suffering and destruction, create a lasting peace that could bring a smile to people's faces instead of pain and tears. All this senseless fighting and killing, there seemed to be no end to it all.

The next morning, most of the Uchiha Clan if not all, shuffled towards the cemetery dressed in all black. The Uchihas were a very proud clan. When one of their own died on the battlefield, the came together to mourn the loss. We all watched as they lowered Tamasu's casket into the ground. His lifeless, battle-hardened body had been battered when they'd brought him in, only allowing the family to see his face one last time. In that moment as he was being put into his final resting place, I imagined the times I'd seen him dote on Hizumi, praise Shisui and come to get them after training. I knew him well from being close to Shisui's family growing up even if we personally were never close. There Shisui stood dressed in all black, his face empty of emotions as he watched the third person in his family be buried.

Each member of the Uchiha clan as well as the families of the other fallen shinobi on his team laid white lily flowers before their caskets.

Hizumi crumpled to the ground in tears and heart wrenching sobs alongside the casket that now had hit the bottom of the dirt hole. First her father Kagami had died during the 9 tails attack, then her mother died and now Tamasu, the person who appeared to be closest to her. I remembered how she used to cling to him when she was little. I clenched my fists in frustration, wishing they didn't have to experience the loss of another loved one.

As a ninja, Shisui made enough money to support them both but was still quite young to be taking care of someone else. While they three had trained together on countless occasions, she wasn't as close to Shisui as she had been to Tamasu. Things would definitely be different now that he was gone. Seeing Shisui watch his younger sister cry, I could see his jaw clench. He bent down to her, wrapping his arm around her opposite shoulder as she sobbed and pulled her towards him in a sideways hug. 

Hizumi continued to cry long after the others had left and Tamasu's casket had been covered completely by dirt. Shisui quietly left without a word. I stood there until we two were the last ones in the graveyard. I placed my hand on her shoulder, hoping to give her some sort of comfort. I knew it wouldn't be enough to make the pain go away but I hoped that it would help even the slightest bit. My hand rested on her shoulder for a moment as I felt her body shake with every sob. 

"I'm so sorry, Hizumi."

She continued to cry as if nothing had happened. I wasn't sure if there was anything else I could do to help so I turned and left her to mourn. 

I visited their home every chance I got to check on them. Occasionally I saw Shisui. He expressed to me about a week after the funeral that he hadn't seen her since. She refused to come out of her room and barely ate any of the food he had left for her. 

Another week passed and I happened to come across Shisui leaving for a mission early one morning. 

"Been a while since we last trained together. I hope you're not rusty already," Shisui joked.

I smirked.

"You must have forgotten how close our scores are," I said.

Shisui chuckled, "Close? I'm beating you 138-114. When you've caught up, then we'll talk."