Sasuke of the noble Uchiha Clan could now call himself a shinobi of Konohagakure, having passed the final test and gotten the hitai-ate of the Leaf.
The test had been insultingly easy, something he could have passed with both eyes closed years ago.
"Congratulations, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed as soon as he stepped out of the examination room.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed across his chest as he ignored the rest of his classmates.
Not that his dismissive response put any of the girls off, in fact, they all just squealed happily as they started to discuss how cool and handsome he was.
He honestly didn't understand them one bit, not that he really tried to understand them; he didn't have the time to care about those useless fools, one more useless than the other.
As he stood there, he slowly ran his eye over the others, all his classmates, people who had either already passed the test or were waiting for their own turn. Here, everyone was waiting on something or someone.
He, too, was waiting, not happily, but he was waiting. He would much rather have been home right now, taking the chance to train, but that would be rude, and this was the last day anyway, so he would wait.
Slowly, his eyes came to rest on the person he was waiting for, Hinata Hyūga. As if noticing his gaze, she turned her head towards him, and quickly looked away, as if embarrassed to have locked eyes with him.
Honestly, Sasuke couldn't understand her at all.
Time passed, and people kept going in and out of the room, passing the test one by one, he doubted even a single one of his classmates would fail such an easy test. Truly, how hard could something like the Clone Jutsu be?
Yet, no sooner had he thought that thought than he was proven wrong as Naruto Uzumaki left the room, and even without saying it, his whole demeanor told everyone the result of his own test.
The other students all grew quiet, even the loudest and most annoying Sakura knew not to rub salt in the wound, and so not one person said anything as Naruto left.
Only Hinata made a motion as if she wanted to stop him, to say something, but in the end, she said nothing as he left, alone and defeated.
Sasuke didn't understand what Hinata saw in that loser. He was weak, stupid, and annoying. That said, Sasuke also knew he was special; everyone acted strangely when it came to Naruto.
Still, everyone refused to speak about it, and Sasuke had better things to do than investigate someone else like him, the only reason he even spared him another look was due to Hinata.
Finally, as Hinata left the room with her forehead protector in her hands, Sasuke pushed off the wall. "Let's go home," he grunted.
"Yes, Sasuke-kun," Hinata said, casting one last look at where Naruto was sitting all alone on a swing, before she followed Sasuke back home to the Hyūga clan compound.
Neither of them said a word as they walked; there was no great friendship between them despite having known one another for years. They couldn't be more different.
Hinata was shy, timid, kind, and gentle.
While Sasuke valued strength, power, responsibility, and vengeance above everything.
As they passed through the gates of the compound, the guards gave them both a curt nod before the two of them went their separate ways, Hinata towards the clan head's house, and Sasuke towards a small, separate handful of buildings.
"Sasuke-nii!" a voice called as soon as he pushed the door open.
That one voice was soon joined by others as a small group of kids rushed towards him; all had the classic Uchiha black hair, and all wore the red-and-white fan of the Uchiha clan.
"Sasuke! Are you a real shinobi now?" one of them eagerly asked as they crowded around him.
"He better be, or I will remove him from the living world myself." A cold voice came, one filled with disdain and pain.
"Mom!" all the kids exclaimed as they rushed towards the woman, who couldn't help but melt under their love.
"So, Sasuke, did you pass?" she finally asked, turning everyone's attention back to him.
"I did, Aiko-san." He held up the hitai-ate as proof.
In return, she just snorted. "About time, when HE was your age, he was already a Tokubetsu Jōnin, and yet you are merely a fresh Genin." she continued with a sneer.
Neither the kids nor Sasuke himself saw anything wrong with her attitude; she had always been like this, at least as long as they could remember, well, all except Sasuke himself.
But he also didn't blame Aiko for her attitude; he knew that she blamed him, that he bore the burden of being that man's younger brother, and therefore carried part of HIS sin on his shoulders.
"Just because I am a Genin by rank doesn't mean I am one by strength," Sasuke said confidently as he threw the hitai-ate aside like a piece of trash.
"Good," Aiko said, "Let's put you to the test. Come, children, let's see how strong Sasuke has become." She urged the kids, along with her, towards the training area. They all bounced about happily, eager to see the two fight again, eager to learn.
...
The training hall was an open indoor space with sand as the floor; the wooden walls were covered with layers of stone and clay, much of which showed signs of damage.
Sasuke and Aiko stood across from one another, the kids stood off to the side, the oldest of them even having the red glow of the Sharingan in his eyes.
"Come, show me how far you have come in the last five years." Aiko said before her own eyes turned from black to red, displaying the mature three-tomoe Sharingan. At the same time, a wall of fire rose behind her, adding to her intimidating presence.
Sasuke did not hesitate to activate his own Sharingan. His eyes turned red, with two tomoe slowly rotating in them.
He instantly saw through the wall of fire behind Aiko; it was just a genjutsu, one he instantly broke for himself.
Then, without any warning, Aiko vanished from sight. Sasuke's eyes widened as he barely managed to raise a kunai to block a kick aimed at his head.
"Too slow." Aiko stated as her fist was already on its way towards him. He ducked under it, but she was already gone again, this time behind him. He spun around, kunai ready.
"Always too slow." Aiko's right leg was already moving in a high kick aimed at his head. He raised an arm to block, the force of the kick still sending him stumbling backward.
"Don't just block, fight back!" she yelled as she pressed her advantage, her fists and feet moving in a blur of motion, each one aimed at a vital point.
Sasuke soon adapted to the speed, and slowly he started to fight back, forcing Aiko to defend against a few of his attacks, breaking her dominance as her rhythm was disrupted.
As soon as he had a moment to breathe, Sasuke jumped back, shuriken flying through the air, forcing Aiko to block them with her kunai. She also cut the nearly invisible strings connected to them, preventing him from controlling them to attack her from behind.
The Uchiha clan was famous for its shurikenjutsu, and while Sasuke had been learning it since before HE killed everyone, he was still not as good as Aiko, who had been a Tokubetsu Jōnin back when Sasuke was but a child.
"Not good enough," she sent the shuriken flying back towards him, forcing Sasuke to abandon trying to use a ninjutsu and instead dodge the projectiles. "If this is the best you can do, you will never be able to kill HIM!"
The words cut deep, they hurt deeply, but Sasuke didn't blame her for them, he knew very well that those words were meant to push him.
He didn't want her love; he knew he would never get it. All he wanted was her teaching, to be able to reach the level where he could avenge himself, his family, and the Uchiha clan.
Aiko soon closed the distance again, this time forming a set of hand seals, Sasuke recognized the jutsu and prepared a counter.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Two massive fireballs collided, a massive explosion of fire and hot steam erupted, sand melted into glass, and the walls cracked.
Sasuke took the opportunity to attack while she was recovering from the jutsu, but Aiko had anticipated it, and instead of a defenseless woman, she met him with a kunai.
The fight went on, kunai clashing against kunai, the two Uchiha pushing against one another.
But in the end, Sasuke lacked the experience and strength to overpower her, and as such, her kunai found its way to his neck. A few drops of blood ran down his neck as he froze, defeated.
"You lost." Aiko said, there was no pride, no warmth in her voice. "Still, not a single Genin can match you, even among Chūnin, you are pretty much invincible. What you need," she said, locking eyes with him, "is your eyes, to think you still only have two tomoe, your brother had three by this age, and a Mangekyō at thirteen."
She then pushed him away. "We are done for today." she said, before she walked away, leaving the kids to cheer for both of them.
Sasuke clenched his hands tightly, feeling his nails dig into the palms of his hands. He knew she was right, but no matter how hard he tried, no matter what training he underwent, he just couldn't push his eyes to the next stage.
He hoped that once he became a real shinobi and started on real missions, he would finally be able to push himself to the next level. As for how to awaken the Mangekyō? He had no idea.
Even Aiko didn't know much about them, only that they were the ultimate stage of the Sharingan, and the power that had allowed HIM to do what he did.
Sasuke would never forget what HE had told him that night, to nurture his hate, and come at him once he had the same eyes as him.
He had trained hard, never rested, never forgetting why he was training, why he pushed himself until he bled.
"Sasuke-nii! That was amazing, you were so fast, I couldn't see you and Mom at all!" Katsuro Uchiha said as he ran up to him, his eyes wide open in amazement.
The other kids joined in, wanting to play now that Sasuke was back home, having been bored all day, or so they claimed.
Seeing them like that, hearing their voices, it caused Sasuke's heart to clench in his chest, as if someone was squeezing it hard.
These kids, they were all that remained, the only ones that had survived the night the Uchiha clan was wiped out, and even now, they had to stay here, with the Hyūga clan, unable to go back to their homes, too afraid that if they left the protection of others, HE would come back to finish what he started.
Sasuke had asked long ago why they stayed here, why he couldn't go back home, but all he ever got was the answer that it was too dangerous.
Even now, HE still hovered over them, as a threat that would take them away, cut their lives short... it was what pushed him to work hard, to train until he collapsed, why he kept asking Aiko to train him, because who else could?
She was the last living person who could teach him how to use the Sharingan, under her he had learned much, but he also knew, she couldn't defeat HIM.
That was his duty, his burden, his destiny.
(End of chapter)
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