4 Chapter 4

Walking down the hallway of the school, Izuna slowly made his way toward the Uchiha compound.

In the hallway after school, all around him, kids were waiting for their friends to go play with, girls chatting while laughing and squeaking. Filled with a sense of liberation from the formalities of lessons, they were now excessively energetic.

Still holding the test in his hand with 100 written on top of it, Izuna put it inside his pocket and walked down the school.

'Hmm. Maybe I'll ask father to teach me a new jutsu or two.'

On the way home, after eating his fill at a shop nearby the academy, Izuna thought, walking down towards the Uchiha district in Konohagakure.

Just as always, the village was bustling with people with happy smiles on their faces, feeling a sense of the warmth of a peaceful atmosphere, the time passed rather quickly.

The soft breeze swayed his long hair in the air, the sakura blossoms fluttering due to the wind.

He suddenly stopped, and curiously looked at the enormous concrete building in front of him.

'So this is where father works, huh?'

Konoha Military Police Force headquarters, constructed with a circle as a keystone. The crest of the Uchiha clan in the symbol of the Military Police Force was the proof of the clan's proud history.

The Uchiha clan organized and founded the Military Police Force. That's why they integrated the crest into the symbol of the organization. The Uchiha clan has handled and maintained the so-called shadow of tranquillity and public order in the village of Konohagakure.

'The only ones capable of cracking down on ninja crime are even greater ninja.'

Izuna's face naturally stretched down to a soft smile as he suddenly recalled the statement his father had once said.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to join there."

Nodding, Izuna muttered to himself. It never even crossed his mind to join the Military Police Force, otherwise, his interaction with the ninja outside the department would be severely cut, and he'd be completely contained within the Uchiha clan's framework. So he had abandoned this line of thought.

"Oh? What are you standing there thinking about, son?"

A calm and kind voice that came from behind suddenly interrupted his meditations.

"Are the classes at the academy over?"

Nodding, Izuna returned a grin, as he turned around to see his father proudly smiling at him, and slowly walking toward him.

"Yes, but everything was just boring. So why don't you teach me a jutsu or two? You do know that I've completely mastered the other ones you taught the other day, right?"

Akio nodded his head, quietly patting his son's head.

"Haha, all right. For now, let's get home."

"Yes, father."

Akio started walking straight toward their house with a confident stride, and Izuna moved after him, unable to hide his excitement. It would be another new batch of jutsu he would learn today.

"So how's school?"

"It's far better for me to train with you or mother."

Smiling, Izuna shrugged his shoulders, catching his father's footsteps as he cooled down his throat with some cold juice.

"No. I'm not talking about that. Is there anyone who can take you on in your class?"

Izuna didn't respond. The silence explained it all, probably.

"Is there?"

"I don't know how and what kind of grades they get, but from what I have noticed there's no one amazing that comes into my mind."

Shaking his head from side to side, Izuna earnestly replied. He suddenly felt a warmth on his shoulders. The palm of his father's hand.

"Haha, thought so. As long as we've you, the future of the Uchiha clan is secure."

Akio said, laughing, but his smile contained a little sadness somehow. Did his face show that minute tint of sadness? He hoped not.

However, it couldn't be kept hidden from the young Uchiha, who was walking by his side.

__________________

Quietly listening to his own clam breathing, Izuna laid down on his futon. It had been just half an hour since he returned from the training ground after training with his father and learning a bunch of new jutsu.

Considering his affinity towards all elements, he had learned and mastered many ninjutsu from all five basic chakra natures.

Ironically, his father had an affinity toward three of the five basic five elements, and his mother had the remaining two. Given the fact that both of his parents were elite ninja, he didn't have to worry about the lack of jutsu under his sleeve.

In addition to the ninjutsu, Izuna had also been training in taijutsu, genjutsu, kenjutsu, and fuinjutsu.

Izuna understood it all too well, the multitude of use of jutsu from every field and it was precisely that's why he had decided to train and master them all.

It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say he wanted to be an embodiment of all kinds of jutsu with almost none to zero weak points, at all. Or so he hoped for and trained hard to achieve that.

Although he had his perks and genius talents he had been born with, considering the future dangers that were beyond human capabilities he'd have to face in the future, the more he learned the less it seemed.

Intense training was just the first step to realizing his dreams, but also the most important. It was a modest and necessary step toward realizing his dream of becoming the most skilled ninja in the world to protect what he held dear. And he clearly had no intention of giving up on that.

"Haah..."

Izuna exhaled an exhausted sigh, training with his father did indeed put him on his back.

Beyond the bedroom where he was lying, resting, was the family's dining room, where his father Akio and mother Akane were sitting.

"Wow! Take a look at these excellent grades. I'm so proud of our son."

He heard his mother's cheerful voice from the side of the wall. After having dinner with his parents, Izuna directly came to his bedroom, so his mother apparently thought he was already asleep.

But here he was, staring at the ceiling, and then closed his eyes before letting out a soft smile.

"Hmm, he did tell me that some kind of test happened at the academy. Oh, as I would expect, he aced on his first day at the academy, huh."

"He's our son, after all."

His father praised him and his mother was happy about it. Listening to their talks lying in his room, Izuna felt a warm and happy sensation at the core of his chest.

"Well, setting that aside, how's he at school?"

His father asked, folding the test and putting it aside.

"What do you mean? Look at these wonderful grad-"

"I'm not talking about that."

His father's words cut his mother off as he continued, before shaking his head.

"Does he have any friends at school? From what I've seen, he spends most of the time training by himself, or either with you or me."

"No. He doesn't talk about his friends, at all. That boy doesn't know how to take it easy."

"That's not such a bad thing, but he goes too far. I've seen it in his eyes, it's like he is rushing like he's hurrying to become a full-fledged ninja."

Izuna, who was lying on his bed again opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling while reflecting on the caring words his father had uttered.

'Father sees right through me... But it's not like I can wait, after all.'

"The way he's so earnest about being a ninja and the ninja hood, sometimes I feel like I should take lessons from him. I'm his father, it causes me the worry - a thread stretched too far is fragile."

"I know how you feel about Izuna, but you just have to watch him grow. You know, he's a gentle boy, he'll be fine."

His mother calmly explained to his father. After a fleeting silence flowed through the room, Akio let out an exasperated sigh.

"All right, if you say so."

"I'm sure he will."

Izuna had gotten used to the look of the ceiling above his head and doing it helps him organize his turmoil of thoughts.

'Friend, huh?'

Absently staring at the ceiling, as if his eyes were trying to tear through it and wander in the infinite sky, Izuna quietly closed his eyes.

The heavens above glittered with stars.

< Chapter 4 > Fin.