Sakura's POV
I was awoken from my sleep by Madoka. She had burst through my door so early in the morning the sun wasn't even up. I watched her in a daze as I sat on my bed. She ran around my room gathering things I would need for the day. I sighed and dreaded the idea of going at all. When Madoka saw me lay back down on the bed she pulled away the covers and told me to take a shower.
I trudged towards the bathroom, wanting the time to slow down. Neither Inner nor Madoka were helping out with that. They were both demanding that I hurry, for different reasons. After I had brushed my teeth and showered Madoka had told me to wear the clothes she had laid out on my bed. So I walked out into my room with my bath robe on, and I expected to see a dress but was surprised to see how normal it was.
She had picked out an outfit we got from the Land of Water. It was smooth, royal blue pants that looked like Jōnin-styled pants. The shirt was from the same material and color, its style reminded me of a yukata blouse. The back of the shirt held our Haruno symbol in white. The material felt nice to the touch, and I was glad that it was a particularly dull silk, for it didn't shine as brightly. Underneath the blouse was a long-sleeved fishnet shirt. Wrapping around my right thigh was my holster, that was given to me by Kioshi; and on my feet were the blue ninja sandals. All in all, I felt comfortable while the clothes looked cute. I finished the look by doing a small French braid to the side of my head, gathering the right side of my bangs. Since the parting was on the left, I didn't have to worry about the little bangs that would get on my face.
I walked down to the kitchen and noticed Madoka had already finished making breakfast. We began eating together until Kioshi came down to eat with us. During and after dinner last night, Madoka insisted on refreshing my mind about all the etiquette lessons she had given me before. She was so excited I could see it in her eyes. But the question was, why was she all excited? Although it could be because I would be meeting one of the most powerful clans in Konoha but I doubted that. Kioshi wasn't so happy, he was in fact looking just as bothered as I felt.
Ever since he was informed during dinner that I was invited by Itachi and Shisui to their house, he had this shocked expression on his face. He had whispered something to Madoka, who in turn burst out laughing. She patted his back in a calm manner, and had then told him that it was okay and that it wasn'tthat sort of meeting yet. Whatever that meant, neither Inner nor I could understand. I wasn't so cheerful either, so I could empathize with Kioshi, for whatever reason he was unhappy about.
It wasn't like I didn't want to meet the Uchihas. In fact, I really did. I only wish it was for a different reason...a friendlier one. Maybe it would be friendly on the outside, but I knew deep inside that it felt like I would be watched. For what exactly? I had yet to figure out.
Breakfast finished and I was getting more nervous by the minute. I was told to go at eight, and currently it was seven fifteen. We sat in the living room until it was time for me to go. Madoka was still cramming me with knowledge I already knew, and Kioshi just sat and listened to the side of us.
At seven-thirty my anxiousness escalated when the doorbell rang. Silence followed and it was filled with weariness as I dreadfully knew they had all this planned out. They really wouldn't allow me to escape this meeting.
Madoka opened the door and being the good hostess she was, greeted them and welcomed them inside.
The footsteps that were heard felt like eternity had passed before they stopped in front of me. Shisui sporting his big grin, greeted us. He was the only one who came to pick me up and I didn't know if I should be relaxed or cautious. I decided Inner should be cautious while I took on the façade of being relaxed.
"Hey Sakura-chan! Ready to go?" He asked after greeting Kioshi.
"Good morning Shisui-san; and yes, I am ready." I said while I stood from my small bow.
"Alright! Let's go then!" He said and then excused himself to wait outside. I said bye to Madoka and Kioshi, but before I left, Madoka placed something wrapped in a dark blue cloth in my hands. She instructed me to give it to Mikoto. I nodded and said bye again before following Shisui outside.
I had thought this meeting was going to be weird since the moment it started. But I was wrong. It felt weird the moment I stepped out of my house.
"I'm sensing something weird around us!" Inner informed as she tried to concentrate in my mind.
'I know. I feel it too.' I said as I discreetly looked around. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Everything looked as it did every day. The only problem was, there was an abnormally large amount of chakra spaced out all around us.
"What's wrong Sakura-chan?" Shisui asked as he looked down at me.
'Was I that obvious?' I asked Inner as I looked up with a smile.
"You shouldn't have been." Inner said as she continued to sense around us.
"Nothing's wrong Shisui-san. Why? Is there something wrong?" I asked while looking around us as calmly as possible.
"No, not that I know of." He answered. I side glanced up at him once he looked away, noticing the confusion in his eyes. I focused back in front of me with a furrowed brow. The chakra was so close around us that it messed with my sensing.
"We just passed Sasuke-kun!" Inner said in confusion. I frowned at her exclamation.
'What? How?' I asked as I looked around the street. We had not passed Sasuke. He was nowhere to be seen around here.
"I don't know! But his chakra was coming from back there!" She said defensively. I looked up at Shisui. He had a calm expression, but there was just something off, like he was waiting for something.
'He knows. I think he's testing us. Should we say something?' I asked as I concentrated on sensing anything other than the chakra that's all around the general area.
"Ne Outer...do you think this is, Genjutsu?" She asked. My eyes widened for a split second.
'That's right! Shisui was considered one of the best Genjutsu users when he was alive. We have to make him stop without telling him we know.' Looking around I saw a weapon stand. I smiled discreetly and then turned towards Shisui.
"Ne Shisui-san, let's go check out that stand really quick!" I said as I began to walk towards it without him. If he had casted a low-level Genjutsu then none of this should be real. He wouldn't cast such a high leveled Genjutsu for a kid...right? It took three more anxious steps before he appeared in front of me, effectively blocking my way.
"Nah Sakura-chan! Let's go see the weapons we have back home, besides we're almost there!" He said as he placed his hand on my back to lead me in a different direction. I smiled in victory and followed along. Soon we approached the place Sasuke's chakra felt the strongest. After we took a whole turn around the village market we walked straight for the compound and he released the Genjutsu.
I noticed with satisfaction how he seemed to be confused throughout the rest of the walk. I didn't have a clue on what he was thinking, although I could easily find out with a single touch but decided against it. He might tell me on his own, though I seriously doubted that.
We soon arrived at the gates that surrounded the compound. It was a wooden structure that extended far on both sides. The height and unknown length was enough to pressure a visitor into nervousness.
"We're here!" He exclaimed excitedly. I wasn't as excited but smiled up at him anyway. I might as well get through this now. Shisui opened the gate and passed through it, I followed after and looked around as he closed the gates behind us.
I was facing the side of a traditional house, slightly to the left of me. On my right, I could see what appeared to be the front of the house was a garden. Both the house and garden were beautiful. Farther away, I could see more traditional houses with their own comfortable space spread about. It reminded me of a very neatly spaced out neighborhood of traditional houses.
"Come on! I'll take you to the others!" Shisui said as he walked up some stairs that lead to the wooden floored passages, or the outer hallways of the house. I followed him up and felt like I was back in Haruki's house. I had very fond memories of the outside hallways that went all around his house.
Looking around as I walked, I noticed the interior structure for some of the rooms. The house was very well built and had the same color of wood as Haruki's. The color was a rich, dark mahogany color. It contrasted well with the light-colored floor and the paper on the shoji doors. Some rooms were opened for the nice weather to ventilate through them and I could see the furnishings were also kept to the more traditional style. We turned left at the end of the hallway and then right due to the house's structure.
We finally stopped in front of some wide opened shoji doors. Looking inside the room, I noticed it to be an eating area of sorts. There was a low table in the center, with cushions around it to sit on. This room was comfortably big and connected to the kitchen, which was directly behind it. The only thing that separated them was a bar-like counter. To the left of the room there were shoji doors that probably lead elsewhere in the maze-like house.
And besides the small plants in the room, it was pretty plain.
"Hopefully the rest of the house has some different designs." Inner said. I agreed, the house was full of only the necessary. Where were the colors? The paintings?
"Sakura-chan, Shisui-kun come in!" I smiled up at her. I bowed slightly and greeted her.
"Good morning Mikoto-san." I said as I straightened back up. She smiled down at me warmly. Not a lot has been known about some of the character's personal lives, but I'm glad I know the gist of things to go about things accordingly.
"Oh Sakura-chan! You're so cute!" She exclaimed excitedly as she intertwined her fingers together. I smiled up at the kind woman, easily forgetting my worries.
Loud, quick footsteps were heard running towards us that were soon followed by another set that walked more quietly behind. I knew before they even stepped foot in the room who they belonged to. The unopened shoji door was roughly pushed aside due to the excitement.
"Okaa-san! Look! Nii-san and I found another one!" Sasuke said holding up a scroll with a tiny imprinted cat paw? He had scratches all over him too.
"Kyaaa! Sasuke-kun!" Inner shouted as she looked at him with hearts in her eyes. He looked around as he noticed the atmosphere and his eyes widened for a fraction before glaring at me.
"What are you doing here?!" He asked me unbelievingly. I blinked and tilted my head in confusion. Was he not informed of my coming here today?
"Did you not know I was coming by today?" I asked him. He looked around and noticed that the others were all quiet. Why didn't anyone tell him? Mikoto acted just as if she knew, so why would he not know?
"Whatever...And you called me a stalker." He said while smirking and crossing his arms in a smug way. I chuckled at his attempt to embarrass me. That child will have to get used to the fact that I hardly ever do anything to merit me getting embarrassed. I looked over to Mikoto, ignoring the incredulous look I was being sent by Sasuke.
"Mikoto-san, my mother said to give this to you." I said as I handed the gift up to her. She took it and thanked me, still looking amused by the whole situation.
"Give Madoka-chan my thanks when you get home, okay?" She said as she walked over to place the gift on the counter.
"Of course." I said. The room soon fell into silence and I was trying to pick a good conversation that Madoka had crammed me with. I turned over to Shisui, who was the closest and probably the most talkative person in the room.
"Ne Shisui-san." I said easily gaining the attention of everyone. That feeling of being watched came back with full force.
"Yeah, what is it Sakura-chan?" He asked as he looked down at me.
"I've practiced my kunai throwing and I hit two targets each time now." I informed him. Alright this would be a bit risky, what with the accident that had started this whole ordeal.
"Oh really?! That's great Sakura-chan!" He said excitedly and began to pat my head. Okay that went well...besides the messing up my hair part, but I won't push my luck.
"Wait! What is going on?! How do you two even know each other?!" Sasuke asked with a frown on his face. It seems he hates to be left out on things, but I suppose everyone does.
"We met a couple of days ago. I was training and they happened to be watching. They stayed for a while and taught me how to throw kunai a little, that's all." He looked surprised that they hadn't told him anything about our encounter.
"Why wasn't I told?" He asked no one in particular. Inner and I felt him sadden and it was hard not to try and comfort him.
"It's not that important." I said trying to make him feel better. He glared at me for a moment before looking down at the tatami mats. Now I definitely didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Mikoto came in with a bowl of pastries. She set the bowl on the table.
"Come have some snacks before training." We all sat around the table as instructed. All the lessons with Madoka on sitting properly had engraved this to my body forever, I did it automatically now.
"Wah! These are my favorites!" Said Shisui with joy as he reached for one. Mikoto nodded her head.
"That's right. Madoka-chan sent over all of our favorites!" I looked in the bowl and saw the different small pastries. So they all liked her sweets too huh?
"Sakura-chan, Itachi and Shisui-kun said you were three. Same age as Sasuke here." She said with a smile and we all looked at Sasuke's frown.
"I will be turning four in two months." I said and she looked at me with surprise.
"Then you're older than Sasuke by four months." She said with a giggle as she looked at her son. Sasuke, if possible was frowning even more, making it look like he was pouting. He was trying to act like he didn't care about the situation, which seeing him put real effort into it was rather cute. When we finished eating pastries, Mikoto stood and said she would be preparing lunch. I asked if I could help but she declined stating that I was her guest. She said for me to relax and go and practice with the others.
"But why does she have to practice with us?!" Sasuke asked his dear elder brother as we went onto the spacious garden up front. To the far right, flowers and small trees brunched together and left a wide open field for what I assumed was the actual 'front' of the house.
"Sasuke, don't be rude. We invited Sakura-san to join us today." Itachi said with a fond flick to the forehead. Sasuke seemed to calm down only slightly, but pouted childishly for his antics.
"Alright kids, let's practice!" Shisui said excitedly. Although Sasuke was angry at me, he still had an excited glint in his eyes. Just as quick as before, Shisui had positioned targets far away from our current location. He also had some kunai in his hands when he returned.
Sasuke grabbed some, as well as Itachi, but I declined, showing that I had brought my own. Sasuke and I listened to Shisui and Itachi tell us all they knew about kunai. From the best way to handle them to the reasons why we shouldn't handle them wrong. After a few minutes they had decided it was time for practice.
"Okay, first watch us and then you guys can go." Shisui said as he stepped up near Itachi. In a few seconds they were seen running towards the open field. When they arrived at a distance they found comfortable they fired the kunai. Of course they hit bulls-eye on every target. They appeared beside us faster than they ran towards the targets earlier. My guess is that they slowed down for our sake.
"You guys ready?!" Shisui asked looking at Sasuke's happy nod and my normal nod. I wanted to say no, but that wasn't going to work, so I nodded and smiled. Shisui disappeared and reappeared behind us. He pushed us toward the targets, eager to see us in action. I was really starting to hate his speed. Not for envious reasons more like it gave me headaches. Sensing his chakra in one place and then reappearing somewhere else made me constantly on alert. Not to mention my unease when it came to things popping out of nowhere.
"Sakura-chan! You're falling behind!" Shisui informed from where I once stood. I looked around and noticed that I had zoned out while waiting to go. Sasuke was already half way there. I shook my head and sprinted off quickly in order to catch up. I caught up to Sasuke easily and made it look as if I was trying hard to keep up. I grabbed a single kunai since Sasuke also had one; and when I arrived to the distance I had practiced on yesterday, I took up the stance Tenten taught me, narrowing my eyes at the target in concentration. Sasuke was going to keep getting closer when he stopped and looked at my stance like I was crazy. His own kunai forgotten.
"What are you doing? You have to get closer or you'll never-" Before he could finish his sentence, I threw the kunai. The precision practice from the day before had helped my aim greatly. The kunai made a noise that echoed in the quiet field. I looked closer and noticed that the kunai had gotten really close to hitting bulls-eye. I straightened up and looked on in satisfaction.
"What?! You weren't supposed to be able to make it! And what was up with that stance?!" Sasuke shouted in annoyance.
"I was able to make it because of practice. The stance was taught to me by a friend." I answered his questions as he glared at my kunai with a deep frown.
"That was great!" Shisui said as he approached us.
"You've gotten much better Sakura-san." Itachi said from beside Shisui.
"Thank you." I said as I smiled up at both of them.
"Nii-san! I have also been practicing and I have never once gotten that close!" He said his voice laced with the smallest hint of a whine.
"Sakura-san practices on her own Sasuke. You should do that too. I won't always have the time." Itachi told his pouting brother.
"That's right Sasuke." My eyes widened at the new voice behind us. Turning around I looked at the man who I didn't sense arrive. I was actually surprised with his appearance. Just like everyone else, he too was very young. He didn't have his creases under his eyes yet, which was good. It meant he didn't have that stern look on his face all the time, which in turn meant that he still didn't have such hostile thoughts about the village.
What surprised me the most was his hair. It was long. I remember in the anime/manga his hair was short, it had reached his shoulders if it even was that long; now it reached his mid back. Maybe he would cut it later on? All of this was still strange to me. It feels weird to meet the characters of an anime/manga. I would never in my eighteen years of life have had imagined that this would be my new life so suddenly.
I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of Sasuke's compliant voice.
"Yes Otou-san." Sasuke said. I looked between them and could see the rift between them starting to form.
"So this is the guest Itachi and Shisui invited." He said emotionlessly. I could practically feel his scrutiny.
"Good afternoon Uchiha-sama. My name is Sakura Haruno." I said, once done I stood up straight from my bow. I looked at him and held the stare.
I thanked the gods when Mikoto shouted out that lunch was ready. I broke the short—nerve-racking—staring contest and couldn't help but think he had sensed that as my hesitation, which was true.
We walked back inside and I was concentrating my best on all the etiquette lessons I had to use. The room went silent as we waited for Mikoto to come sit down. I had asked to help her finish setting everything up, but she declined again; and I couldn't help but think that I have never been so uncomfortable in both of my lives.
"He's pretty mean..." Inner said as she backed away farther inside my mind.
'Yeah, but I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation.' I said as I kept my gaze fixed on the kitchen behind him or simply at Mikoto.
"What kind of reason justifies him being mean to us?!"She asked as she glared at Fugaku inside my head.
'We're strangers in his house. In this world, some children can already be counted as adults, not to mention deadly ninja. He has a very justifiable reason for being cautious with a stranger near his family.' I answered and Inner became quiet until she resigned herself with a sigh.
"Of course. When you put it like that, it makes perfect sense." Inner said as she crossed her arms in frustration. I smiled at her silliness and Mikoto as she walked in from the kitchen.
She served Fugaku first and then the rest of us. Of course, I had waited until Fugaku began to eat as was per etiquette. The whole time we ate I felt eyes on me almost constantly. I tried desperately to follow all the table etiquette lessons Madoka had engraved in me. I didn't think it could get any worse, since both Shisui and Mikoto were very talkative. I was wrong.
'Inner, do me a favor and take over our chakra. Don't let Fugaku or anyone sense how nervous we get. I have a feeling things won't be getting any better. I'll add support but you have to help keep a steady grip on it.' I said. Inner nodded also quite nervous and soon I felt her start to concentrate to shield away any sudden chakra shifts.
After we finished eating, the atmosphere was so uncomfortable it even made Sasuke squirm in his seat. I never liked silence, or at least just when it felt as if I was being suffocated in it; Inner knew very well from my outburst last time it did me no good. As I was about to speak up, Fugaku beat me to it.
"Haruno-san, how old are you?" I stared up at him as politely as I could muster.
"Three, about to be four Uchiha-sama…and Sakura is just fine. Haruno-san is better suited for my father." I said while I continued to stare up at him. There was no way I would call him by name when he had yet to technically give me one. There's no way I would allow myself to get caught for something as simple as knowing someone's name. I could lie my way out, but it was best to just wait until the character introduced themselves.
"What are you doing?! Don't stare so openly and request things! He'll probably think you're challenging him!" She yelled at me.
'Sorry, old habits. The staring just makes me feel secure from my other world when I spoke to people; and the request was just so I could feel a bit better when he talks to me.' I answered her, before focusing back on Fugaku.
"I see. Sakura-san, I have been told you do not wish to enter the academy early, even though you could possibly make the requirements." He said getting straight to the point. What did he mean by possibly? Although I supported his cautiousness with strangers. He didn't have to be a jerk. If anyone joins early it was usually for a valid reason like prodigious skills. I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem with progress if they did get in. So what he had implied didn't quite sit well with me.
"That's correct." I said. Might as well speak as good as I could afford to show. Just enough so he wouldn't view me as someone who didn't know what they were saying.
"Is it because you are of civilian status?" He asked nonchalantly. The question however did surprise the others. Since this topic was brought up, I already had rough ideas of where it would lead, so it didn't bother me as much.
"Fugaku!" Mikoto exclaimed, most likely wanting to stop where this conversation was going.
"Mikoto calm down. I am merely asking a few questions. Isn't that right Sakura-san?" He asked me. Mikoto still looked nervously between us. He was testing me openly and so I decided to accept the challenge.
"It's fine Mikoto-san. They are merely questions." I said seemingly surprising everyone. Turning back to face Fugaku who still seemed to be emotionless.
"I believe my status has nothing to do with my decision." He looked very surprised with my answer.
"Then is it financial problems or is someone holding you back?" He asked, which made Mikoto turn to him quickly in shock but I decided to intervene before she could fret further.
"Neither. There are no financial problems within my family and my father agrees with my decision along with the rest of my family." He frowned slightly at the way I seemed to take everything with a calm stride. Although I had lied about Kioshi and the others agreeing. I was sure they would agree if I asked anyways so there shouldn't really be a problem with that.
"Then what is keeping you back? If I may ask." He added the last bit as he glanced at Mikoto's face full of disapproval. There was no way I was telling them it was for Naruto. First reason being, I had yet to know if they even liked Naruto. Second reason was, if he didn't know him and thought he was a regular kid; well I don't think he would accept that as my reason. Not that he knew what my true intentions were for doing that.
"It's exactly as you said before Uchiha-sama. I could possibly be accepted but I'm still lacking in the basics." I said, veering the conversation back into a safe zone.
"That's what the Academy is for. To teach you." He said as he continued to observe me.
"If you don't mind me asking. What are the requirements for early admission?" I asked him, knowing he could answer; since his own son entered the Academy early.
"It depends mostly on your skills and knowledge. They will place you in a class according to the requirements you meet. They look for how much you comprehend each category of the ninja arts. The knowledge you possess in each category as well as advanced academic knowledge. Depending on what they know of your skills is what they use to decide where you will be placed." He explained to me. I nodded slowly, showing I understood what he was explaining. Going by what he said, I was probably able to get in; but there was no way I would be leaving the others.
"I have already assessed for myself that you possess adequate academic knowledge to meet the requirement to enter. But I haven't seen the skills you possess in the ninja arts. If you possess enough skill, the Uchiha clan would be willing to finance your academy years." He said in all seriousness.
My eyes widened and I blinked at him openly. He's completely serious! What the heck is he thinking? Why would he cover all the expenses of a stranger? Maybe it's because this is the first time his family members take an interest to someone outside the family?...What if they told him about the chakra accident?!...What if he's suspicious of me? No, that's ridiculous, nobody should be able to tell I'm not from this world…but still…
"Calm down! Man, it's been a while since you've gotten so nervous!" Inner said, trying to calm me down.
'You're right. I won't be able to think straight...Thanks.' I said, grateful she was taking care of our chakra. Looking back to Fugaku, I straightened up and looked at him with determination.
"Thank you for the generous offer...but I decline." I said while bowing. The room was so quiet right now, that we could practically hear each other's breathing. I sat up straight again and looked up to him. He had a frown on his face but not one of anger. It looked more out of confusion.
"And you're sure you wouldn't change your mind?" He asked me after a moment of silence.
"I'm positive." I answered without hesitation. However, a big part inside of me was ready to move the hell away from here.
"I would still like to assess your skills in combat." He said. He really wasn't going to let this go. It wouldn't hurt to just show him...right?
"If it's alright with you, Itachi shall be your opponent." He said. My eyes along with everyone's shifted towards the quiet boy to my right.
'Now what?! We won't be able to take him on!' I said starting to get even more nervous.
"But that's a good thing...isn't it?" Inner asked. I tilted my head slightly in thought.
'Yes...but still, Itachi's smart. He won't let me lose without knowing I'm holding back.' I said as I thought through different ideas.
"Why would you hold back?! You think we can beat Itachi?!" Inner shouted.
'Of course we can't beat him. Inner, the whole point of this fight is not to beat Itachi, it's to see what my skill level is. If I show even the tiniest bit of prodigy skills he will probably tell father.' I said. So far there wasn't much for me to do. I had to hide my skills somehow...but how? He was right, the Academy is a place to grow and would readily accept me. However, if I so much as follow or dodge Itachi's attacks repeatedly, he would deem that enough along with my high academic level to get me in.
'Wait! Maybe, we shouldn't lie at all.' I thought about the idea being formulated in my mind and thought it was the best option we had.
"What do you mean?" Inner asked, clearly confused. I turned back to Fugaku and decided I would answer both of them.
"Uchiha-sama, my I ask for one condition to having a match?" I asked as he, along with the others, looked at me with incredulous stares.
"Let's hear it first." He said as I smiled.
"I won't lie Uchiha-sama, so I must tell you that I do believe that if I were to face Itachi-san in a fight, he would win. So I propose a fight with you instead." I said, quite serious of my decision. I would be laughing if the situation wasn't so serious, from the look on all their faces.
"Do you think you would fare better in a battle against me?" He asked incredulously. I nodded up towards him, determined not to back down.
"Yes. Although the type of battle I'm challenging you in, is not in combat." He raised an eyebrow while crossing his arms.
"Then what kind is it?" He asked, interested. I can probably imagine why, it's not every day someone challenges the head of clan, especially not a child.
"Uchiha-sama, have you ever played Go?" I asked. He seemed to have finally understood why I said we should battle without combat.
"I see, now I get it. Yes, I have played." He answered. I smiled, this was going according to my instantaneous made up plan.
"Are you crazy?! We've never played Go!" She shouted.
'You're half correct. You've never played Go, but I have.' I told her.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
'Back in my other world I played, but I never won against the old man who taught me. I met him in one of my travels. I remember I was bored that day and didn't have anything to do in the hotel we stayed at. So my two older brothers and little sister and I split up to find something to do. That's when I found him.' I told her as I reminisced. I forgot where I was for a moment and looked back to Fugaku.
"So my condition is, if you beat me in one game of Go, I will fight Itachi-san. If I win, I don't have to." I said looking straight at him, hoping he agreed. He thought about it for a while until he answered.
"Alright, I agree, but why do you not want to fight Itachi? It is merely a test to see your skills." He asked. As if he didn't know...that jerk.
"Uchiha-sama, I think we all know what would happen if I did." I said to him with a knowing stare. If I fought Itachi I would lose in less than a minute, probably in a few seconds if he tried. Fugaku nodded and stood up.
"Follow me." He instructed. I nodded and stood up. The others followed as well.
"So...do you really think we can win?" Inner asked worriedly.
'Inner, if there is one thing I am confident about, it's my ability to think beforehand. My intelligence isn't that bad either and with your amazing ability to reconjure memories, I think we can win.' I told her as we walked out of the room.
"I think you trust my abilities more than I do. I mean, sure, I trust you but I don't know if I'll be able to help."Inner said sadly.
'Well I trust you and you trust me, that's good.' I said as we began to move down the hallways towards another room.
"...Thanks...So what's the plan?" She asked, starting to sound a bit more confident. That was good since I will really need her help with this.
'I wouldn't call it a plan. It's more like a reenactment.' I replied, also thinking about the strategy.
"What do you mean?" She asked, her head tilting in confusion.
'I will be using the same strategy as the first game I had lost to. All you have to do is show me the memory again and we'll follow along. The reason I'm using that one is because the old man had told me how he had won with his strategy. He said it was the perfect strategy for when your opponent underestimates you, he won because of that and by using that strategy it had become his ultimate defense.' I explained to Inner.
"Did he make the strategy up himself? Don't you feel bad for copying it?" She asked me.
'I think he wanted to teach me. Since he told me himself, I don't feel so bad. I feel as if he passed down his secret onto me. I'd rather feel this way then feel as if I stole it.' I said. We had finally stopped in front of a closed door.
"Hey Outer, can I ask you something before you start the game?" She asked as we stepped into the room.
'Sure, go ahead.' I said as I followed Fugaku.
"By the way, I found the memory you wanted and saw it to get familiar with it. What I wanted to ask is why did you pick Go?" She asked as she tilted her head.
'Because Go isn't just any regular game. The old man taught me that it reflects oneself upon the game and helps in character development. Both of which we need to see in Fugaku.' I answered her question. She nodded as soon as she understood.
Back inside the room, Fugaku had walked to the other side of the table that had the board on top. I sighed quietly and proceeded to sit down with my knees tucked underneath. I bowed towards Fugaku as was customary.
"Onegaishimasu." I said before sitting up straight. He looked at me for a second before following my example.
"Onegaishimasu." He said and then sat up. We both looked to the side. We noticed that the white stones were closer to him which was convenient. He had the honors anyways, being the eldest, along with having the higher status to start the nigiri.
He took a handful of white stones. I didn't have to think long to make my decision. Reaching towards the black stones quietly, I grabbed two black stones and gently placed them on the table. The stones made a small noise on contact with the table. Although making noise was rude, it wasn't when the sound wasn't so loud.
Fugaku placed his white stones upon the table. There was a total of six. I had inwardly smiled at guessing the number to be even. Reaching over to the bowl that held the black stones, I took my first stone in between my index and middle finger and placed it in the intersection on the upper right corner. This was all just Go etiquette but it was how I was taught, so I stuck with it.
Fugaku also reached over to his bowl and placed his first stone in his desired location. And so the battle of Go began.
I had to admit, Fugaku was good, very good. Not even fifteen minutes into the game and he already had me using strategies from other games I had played. Although he had a few good moves here and there he was still going to be trapped within my...or should I say Katsu's strategy. He was very predictable only because he underestimated me. If he would have taken this as seriously as I have, he wouldn't have been so easy to figure out.
I hadn't noticed how long we had been playing because I was so focused in the game. But once I accidentally moved my numb legs, they began to have that prickling sensation, and I knew that it had been two hours or so. Two hours had been my limit to sitting in that position and it was starting to hurt. I tried to re-concentrate on the game when I heard a sigh coming from Fugaku. I looked up to him, since this had been the only noise he had made through the whole game.
"I resign." He said quite humbly. My eyes widened and I looked down to the covered grid. I noticed that he was right, even if he didn't resign I would have ended up with more points. Funny thing was, I had only used half of Katsu's strategy. Meaning, if I had really wanted to. I could have had a great chance of winning by myself. I looked up to Fugaku.
"Thank you for the game." I said as customary. He nodded and thanked me as well. We began to clean up the board and place the stones back into their bowls. Once finished, we placed them back on the table near the edge of the board.
"That was a very good game." Fugaku said. It surprised me in how truthful it sounded.
"You were actually my first win." I told him truthfully, since he had also been speaking the truth I figured it was only fair. His eyes widened and I noticed the others were surprised as well. I had only glanced at them once during the entire game. It was only because Sasuke squirmed out of the traditional sitting style a few minutes into the game. I had been so focused on the game and everything was so quiet, nothing moved besides our hands that his sudden movement had caused me to jump a little and take notice of their intrigued eyes. Even Sasuke looked interested, whether he knew how to play or not.
"Really? You looked quite confident with your moves. Was I that easy to defeat?" He asked quite curiously. I wanted to laugh at the situation.
"No. You were a very good opponent. My teacher...he was just that good. I've never won against him and no one else around me knew how to play. So I had to get used to losing a lot. Today was a very pleasant surprise." I told them honestly.
"He must be really good then if you could never win." I smiled at his comment. He soon stood up and I was jealous he could stand without any problems. I knew if I tried to move at all, my legs would hurt from the strain.
"Then as agreed upon, you don't have to fight Itachi." He said as he looked between me and the others. I nodded with a smile up at him. He nodded back and began to walk out the room. He slid the shoji doors aside and stopped before stepping out. He turned to face me, actually considering something.
"I do hope you come by some time to accompany Sasuke in training...and perhaps we can have another match as well." My eyes widened for a moment until I realized he was waiting for me to say something. I smiled a big genuine smile up at him, feeling as if I had finally jumped another obstacle in my way. He was certainly not yet the stressed out and outrageously strict father yet and I couldn't help think there was hope yet.
"Of course Uchiha-sama!" I replied happily.
"Fugaku." He said afterwards and I thought I had seriously heard wrong.
"Pardon?" I asked.
"Call me Fugaku. Uchiha is better suited for my father." He responded and smiled down at my surprised face. I snapped out of it and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped as I noticed my own words he had used.
"Okay, have a nice afternoon Fugaku-sama." I said and he nodded before leaving. I couldn't help feel like I had accomplished the impossible today. Inner herself was jumping in joy for many reasons inside my head and her happy attitude was starting to get contagious
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Sorry i haven't updated in sooooooo long its just that I've been😩. sick and thanks for the support!😀 (you know who you are)