✩Little Brothers Are Sacred✩
Location: Konohagakure
"Namikaze Hikari, Hokage-sama has requested your prescence."
Hikari looked up at the Chunin, who looked only a few years older than herself, and nodded at him.
She finished her ramen noodles quickly, throwing the money on the counter and followed the ninja out of the shop. As she walked through the town, many of the villagers greeted her with enthusiasm all because of her title.
Nonetheless, she smiled politely at them all, making her way to the Hokage's building. She entered the building, greeting the other ninjas there politely, and made her way to his door.
She knocked, waiting for a response.
"Come in." He called out.
Hikari opened the door, walking into the room. Her cerulean blue eyes lit up in surprise when she saw that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not alone.
"Oh Kakashi. What a pleasant surprise."
He smiled at her, or at least that's what she guessed it was; she could never be too sure with his mask.
"You requested for me, Hokage-sama?" Hikari asked, turning her attention to the hokage.
"Yes, I was waiting for you to show up." He stated. "Kakashi, you are training Uchiha Sasuke correct?"
It wasn't exactly a question, more like a statement which Kakashi confirmed with a nod.
"And Hikari, you have been doing nothing lately right?"
The blonde didn't know whether to take offense to that statement or not. After all, it was him that assigned the missions and she hasn't had one since the Chunin exams began. She simply nodded.
A small smile made its way onto his face as he nodded to himself.
"Good, I need you to help Kakashi train Sasuke. With Orochimaru back, we don't know when he will attack again, but we can never be to careful. I know that you are familiar with the jutsus of the Uchiha clan and you have faced Orochimaru before so you know what to expect."
This came as a surprise to Hikari who never once thought about training the younger Uchiha. She hadn't even spoken to him before. However, as she contemplated this, she remembered that she was supposed to be watching over him and this would fall under that category.
"I understand." She stated, looking at Kakashi from the corner of her eyes.
His face showed indifference, but his eyes told a different story; they showed curiosity, bewilderment, and another flash of emotion that she couldn't decipher.
"Good. I don't want to tell you have to train your student, but you should start soon." The Hokage stated.
"We'll start tomorrow at 10." Kakashi said before turning towards Hikari. "Meet at the training grounds."
Both figures nodded.
"Thank you. That is all."
The silver haired ninja nodded before leaving the room. Hikari turned to follow, but stopped when she heard her name being called.
"Yes?" She asked, turning back towards Hiruzen.
"I chose you for this because I also want you to help him develop his Sharingan. Kakashi is a great help with his own, but if there's any person in this world who knows the Sharingan to the same level of a Uchiha, it's you."
Hikari nodded, before disappearing, leaving a puff of smoke behind her.
She arrived back at her house, collapsing on the couch; she couldn't help it as memories overtook her mind.
~Flashback Begins~
The blonde flipped over, dodging the blast of fire that came her. Her blue eyes wandered through the forest, looking for any source of movement.
She heard a rustle behind the bush and quickly threw one of her marked kunais, throwing it to the bush. Her body disappeared and reappeared to that spot before the kunai even touched the ground.
A small frown made its way onto her face when she noticed that it was nothing but a bird.
Her eyes then narrowed when she examined it further, realizing that it was a crow, Itachi's speciality.
"Katon: Hosenka Tsumabeni."
Hikari looked up just in time, moving out of the way when she saw a hoard of shurikens, all encased in fire.
"Suiton: Hahonryu!" She called out.
Water spiraled from her hands in a similar sense to the Rasengan, which she had perfected just months ago, and came launching out towards the remaining shurikens. The water had put out the fire as three shurikens came flying downwards at Hikari who caught all three.
Her hands glowed as she marked the shrunken, hurling it towards the black figure. The figure narrowly caught it as she appeared in front of him, aiming a punch.
He swiftly blocked it with his hand as they began engaging in taijutsu.
"You've gotten stronger since last time." He praised, as she aimed a kick to his stomach.
"Thank you, all the training has been paying off huh? You have as well." She called back, backflipping off of his hand which blocked the kick.
"I see you have mastered your Rasengan?" He commented.
She smiled to herself; she knew that Itachi would notice. It has been exactly 5 months since she had last seen him in person and a little over 4 since she has perfect her Rasengan. Last time they trained together, her Rasengan got out of control and proceeded to create a large crater where hundreds of trees used to be, not very conspicuous.
The only reason they chose to train after midnight was because most people were dead asleep, that included Jiraiya, and it would be harder to see them, if they were to be caught.
They continued their spar for a few more minutes, before they both stopped, calling it a tie.
"Here."
Hikari looked up just in time as Itachi tossed her a bottle of water. She caught it, smiling at him gratefully.
He returned it with a rare smile of his own. It seemed the only time he actually smiled since the Uchiha massacre was when he was around her.
"You should probably go soon." Itachi stated, as he noticed the dark sky was growing lighter.
It was probably around 5:30, almost sunrise. They both knew that this was the time when most ninjas would be awake.
One good thing about traveling with Jiraiya was that he treasured his sleep almost as much as he treasured his books. He almost never woke up before 12 which Hikari benefitted during long nights like today.
"Yeah." She stated in agreement, but made no motion to leave.
Itachi joined her side, and they took a seat side by side, staring off into the horizon. A silence passed over them, but it was comforting.
"What have you been up to?" Hikari asked, looking over at him.
There was a brief moment of silence before he answered.
"You don't want to hear the details."
She grimaced, remembering the last gruesome story he had told her.
"Just give me a brief summary."
"We've begun the hunt for information on all the Jinchuuriki. Each group has been assigned two Jinchuuriki."
The blonde hesitated with her next question causing him to sigh.
"I was assigned the Kyuubi." He stated; he knew her too well.
She didn't speak, but the Uchiha continued.
"We don't have much information on him so far if that makes you feel better. And I will make sure that we will never have enough."
Hikari looked up at him with a small smile on her face. She was never going to be able to accept the fact that Itachi was in that organization, but she knew that it was for selfless reasons.
"Thank you."
He looked over at her with a small smile of his own.
"I know you would do the same for Sasuke."
Hikari couldn't help but admire his features as he held that smile on his face. His Sharingan was deactivated like always, revealing his coal black eyes which showed emotions that only showed in her presence. His features were sharp and the smile, though small, seemed to light up his face in ways unimaginable.
It's times like these that made her realize how great her love for the Uchiha was. The free look on his face was more than enough to support just how innocent the Uchiha truly was, if only that was the case.
If they were in a completely different solution, maybe something could have been done about their love for each other. However, in the selfish world of ninjas, there is almost never a happy ending.
As Hikari continued staring at his smile, she remembered why she had chose to trust him in the beginning; they were both willing to risk everything and anything for their little brothers, perhaps that was what fueled her love for him.
~Flashback Ends~
The blonde quickly got up and entered her room, the flashback had reminded her of an important task that she had to fulfill.
She rummaged through the drawers until she found a note and got out some ink. Biting her lower lip, she thought about what she was going to write, but the second her pen made contact with the parchment, all her thoughts spilled onto the paper.
Orochimaru is back in the village and he has marked Sasuke with the Curse Seal of Haven. I think he might be after the Sharingan. He is under the protection of the village and being watched at all times due to the command of the Hokage, but I fear it might not be enough. Hatake Kakashi has sealed the curse mark, but you and I both know it won't be enough. I have been told to train him with Kakashi for the Chunin Exams. I will make sure that I watch carefully over him and protect him with my life. I am sorry that I failed to protect him in the first place, I promise you it won't happen again.
I have also seen Naruto for the first time. He has grown so much, it's incredible. The more I watch him, the more he reminds me of the 4th.
Will I see you anytime soon?
-NH
My letter was a discreet as it always is in case it was intercepted. I was careful to never imply who the letter was for.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."
A puff of smoke appeared in the room as Hikari got out of her crouching form, smiling down at her summoning.
The wolf in front of her was one that she doesn't summon often unless it was to deliver messages to Itachi.
The wolf sat up, no doubt it was sleeping and grinned, as best as a wolf could, up at her.
"Sora." She greeted with a pleasant smile.
Sora was her messenger wolf and his name meant 'Sky' which was perfect for him. Sora has pure white fur with dark blue etchings all over. For example there was a dark blue marking on its left arm that slightly resembled a thunder bolt and on the top of its left paw is a marking of the sun and on the right is a star. The most unique thing about Sora was that he could change his fur color to camouflage with its environment, which made him perfect for delivering message. Sora could also fly by extending his dark blue wings which he often did due to the far distance.
What truly intrigued Hikari about Sora, though, was the fact that he automatically knew the locations of whoever he was delivering a message to without her telling him.
The wolf in front of her whined happily at the sight of her, standing on its hind legs to lick her cheek.
'It's good to see you again.' His voice rang telepathically in her mind.
"You too." Hikari smiled before bending down with the folded letter in her hand.
"This is for-"
"Uchiha Itachi?" Sora guessed.
The blonde smiled, laughing slightly. "Yeah."
Sora grabbed the note in his mouth, giving her a funny look before disappearing out of her room.
Hikari looked outside the window, taking note that it was probably late. She opted in brushing her teeth which she did before she dragged herself back to her room, collapsing on her bed.
She wasn't sure what to expect from tomorrow's training session. Just before she drifted asleep, she had to remind herself not to get her hopes up, it would be nothing like training with Itachi.
Location: Konohagakure- Training Grounds
At exactly 10, Hikari arrived at the training grounds. As she drew closer towards the open grounds, she noticed a figure waiting there cooly with his hands in his pockets.
The second she broke out of the trees and into the open space, his eyes snapped onto hers, watching her. She silently praised him for being aware of his surroundings.
He watched her with caution as she drew near him; she didn't miss the way his right hand lingered by his back pocket. Some might see it as being careful, but Hikari saw beyond that, the Uchiha had a problem with trust.
"You're Uchiha Sasuke, right?" She asked, as she drew near him.
She knew the answer however. She stood a foot from him, taking in his features. The more she stared at him, the more he reminded her of Itachi. From afar, she noticed the resemblance, but up close it only intensified. A sharp pain made its way through her abdominal muscle causing her to tense, not wanting to show Sasuke her true emotions.
Sasuke nodded after hesitating for a brief moment.
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"Namikaze Hikari. I'm here helping Kakashi train you." She answered.
She saw a glimpse of curiosity on his face, before it was replaced by his usual emotional facade. Hikari resisted the urge to roll her eyes, his emotional face only reminded her more of Itachi.
He didn't say anything else and neither did she as they both waited in silence for Kakashi to arrive.
Thirty minutes passed and just as Hikari was about to explode in anger, the target of her anger appeared.
The blonde glared over at him while Sasuke remained emotionless. The gray haired ninja smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Sorry about that, I had to help an old lady cross the street."
Hikari raised an eyebrow at his excuse, but before she could say anything, Sasuke spoke up.
"Can we get to training now?"
Hikari looked over at him, noticing the determination on his face. She mentally grimaced, knowing the reason behind it.
"Yes, let's. Follow me."
Kakashi took off in the direction to Konoha's gate with the two following close behind him. Within minutes they landed on top of a mountain. It was pretty high up, which guaranteed no intruders without notice. There were a few rocks that could be used for practice and a big open space.
Kakashi landed in front of Sasuke, and the training immediately began.
~Suiton: Hahonryu : Water release. This technique creates water that spirals in the user's hand which fires at a high speed towards the enemy.
Author's Note: What did you guys think about this chapter? Do you have any predictions on what will happen to Itachi and Hikari in the future? Leave a comment to let me know! Also on the side is a picture of Sora!
xx