Chapter 118

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Title: Meaning of Life

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After school, all the kids at the academy went about their childish stuff with their cliques, only Shun and Itachi were left alone. The Inuzuka girl quickly distanced herself from Shun as soon as she got the chance.

"So... Any interesting things to do around here?" Shun asked the thoughtful Uchiha who was looking listless.

"Huh? Oh... No. I dunno, maybe others would. I don't mingle well with them." Itachi responded.

"Heh. Like I would mingle well with them. They're all brats, plus, my actions earlier should drive them away from me." Shun said with a smug smile.

"You're a brat yourself." Itachi said lightly. "Anyways, I gotta get home. See you around." He said and proceeded to stand up.

"Eh? You're going to leave your only friend all alone here?" Shun asked, perplexed.

"I don't think we're friends, plus, kids my age don't click well with me." Itachi said as he walked down. Shun hurriedly stood and followed him. "I get what you mean my friend. They all think too childish, right?" Shun asked and Itachi nodded. "It can be off putting."

"I see." Shun said. "So... Is there any story behind it?"

"Behind what?" Itachi asked. "Behind the intelligence you seem to have, unbecoming of someone your age." Shun replied. "I could ask you the same thing." Itachi intoned but Shun waved his hand. "I'm different."

"How so?" Itachi asked. "I'm a genius. Simple." Shun said, causing Itachi to stop for a second, wondering whether this new classmate of his was okay. "I see." He said unsurely.

"Heh. I know you don't believe me but you'll understand soon." Shun said with a smirk only to be hit by a stone the very next second. "The hell!?" He shouted and turned to look at the culprit only to see a bunch of older kids lined up behind them, and about to throw more stones.

"They're after me, leave them be." Itachi said without turning back as the stones were dodged by him...or rather, the kids missed the throw?

However, Shun noticed that he wasn't even batting an eye to them and from the look of things, this was a normalcy. He also noticed an Uchiha girl trying to stop the boys from doing what they're doing. 'Probably Izumi,' he thought.

"Who are they?" Shun asked, "Upper-classmen." Itachi simply replied. "And you let them do as they wish?" Shun asked. "What will you have me do? Attack them?" Itachi asked.

Shun rolled his eyes and said. "Duh! You gotta show them some pain for them to understand what they're putting you through."

Itachi seemed to ponder on it for a moment while still walking but stopped suddenly and picked a stone and threw it back carelessly...or so it seemed.

The stone flew towards a stone in the air and hit it, changing its directory into intercepting another stone flying towards the Uchiha girl, while the original went on to hit the one just thrown by the boy who seemed to be their ring leader. 'Wut!' Shun screamed in his head at that.

One had to know that these stones had rough edges and no matter how much calculation was implemented in the fraction of a fraction of a second, one can't possibly calculate this outcome.

It could either boil down to plot armor or pure genius or which Shun was more inclined to believe in the former.

"Incredible. But why didn't you aim to hit him?" Shun asked but Itachi remained silent. "Did you only retaliate to protect the girl?" This got a reaction from Itachi who looked to the side. "You definitely did, huh. Incredible."

"What's that to you?" Itachi asked with a small pout. 'I guess he still has some childishness to him.' "Well, it goes to show how good of a Shinobi you could become."

"Shinobi?" He paused as he muttered that word. "What's a Shinobi?" He asked.

"Are you asking In the literal sense or otherwise?" Shun asked. "Are there other meanings to it?" Itachi asked. "Of course there is." Shun said and stood in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Literally, the term Shinobi means, 'One who sneaks'. That is a ninja, mercenary, or guerilla warfare expert. This term was coined by Tobirama." Shun said. "However, the true meaning of Shinobi, thought up by Hashirama, was 'One who Protects'."

"One who protects?" Itachi asked.

"Yup. He who protects. Hashirama initially hoped to create a village where children wouldn't have to go through what he did. He hoped that he could gather a group of people and create a huge village to protect them all from external conflicts." Shun said with a smile as he moved out of the way and turned to look at Hashirama's face on the Stone Mountain

"I see..." Itachi continued walking while still in thought. "Then why do they fight? Why do they kill each other?" He asked.

"Hmm... I would've said it is to protect us, the young ones, but deep down, I know it's a lie." Shun said thoughtfully.

"A lie? How so?" The young Uchiha asked.

"Well, the first world war was initiated due to the lack of Hashirama Senju, the four other Villages felt they could get a bite of the great pie that was Konoha. The second war began due to the economic disparity between villages and then the third war began simply due to small conflicts turning into big ones." Shun explained with one hand on his jaw.

"I see... Wait, how do you know all this?" Itachi said before realizing something weird about all this. The boy beside him was the same age as him, yet he knew all these things only adults should probably know.

"Hehe, I told you right? I am a Genius..." Shun said smugly, "plus I read a lot."

"So you do read." Itachi said, directly ignoring the Genius part of the sentence.

"Of course I do, how do you think I became a genius?" Shun asked. "Books help one understand and experience the outside world. Through them, I've experienced the darkness, prosperity, life of flourish as well as the struggle of living. Life's sorrow and happiness are abundant there. Countless lives take place there."

"In books?" He asked. "Of course." Shun replied. "Then what's the meaning of life? You should know that right? Why do people live, die, kill each other? What is the meaning of this thing called living?" The young Uchiha asked the question that has been on his mind as of late.

Shun stopped and looked at the boy in pity. "You really do have a story. C'mon, tell me about it. Maybe I'll be able to answer your questions."

Itachi looked at Shun and saw the confidence exuding from his eyes and decided to open up to this boy. No one his age has ever been as mature as he was, and seeing one similar to him, he felt a need to interact more with him.

"Come with me." He said and began walking briskly. Shun followed beside him and soon, they reached the Naka River which Shun could vividly remember how it was formed.

'Indra's Susanoo Swing really is something...' He thought as he sat beside Itachi who was looking at his figure with melancholy.

"...A few months ago, my father brought me to a Battlefield..." And so, Itachi told shun what he had experienced a few years after his birth. The feeling he got from that enemy Shinobi who aimed to kill him for no just reason. Just for the fact that he had a Konoha forehead protector. He also said how he was forced to kill the Ninja in order to protect himself.

This was his reason for not attacking back when he was being bullied. He kept asking himself, was there a better way? Why did he have to attack him? Was it just because they come from different places? Didn't they all have the same blood? Weren't they all humans?

Shun looked at the little Uchiha and felt genuine pity for him. He had initially had this level of dislike for the future Itachi had in the Canon. Killing off all the Uchiha civilians just to prevent a civil war and protect his brother.

Killing his own father and mother... No matter how murderous a Ninja could get, Shun had this strange dislike for anyone who would do their own parents harm.

However, looking at him now, he understood something... Taking a life was never easy. It leaves an indelible mark on the soul. Depending on how one handles it, one's life's trajectory would be changed permanently.

Coupled with the fact that he has all these expectations placed on his little shoulder just for being the clan head's son.

"Life... Is Heaven and also Hell." Shun said, causing Itachi to turn his head to him. "Life's a journey and its destination is...death. However, what really matters is the journey itself and not the destination." Shun said and tapped the surface of the water causing ripples to appear.

"Every action we take, every word we speak, every thought we make, has this reaction in this place known as this world." Shun said and then gathered a handful of stones and threw them into the river causing multiple ripples to appear. "Those are the reactions of others... See how they all seem to interact in one way or another?" Shun asked and Itachi nodded in curiosity.

"That's how life works. But what do you have to pay attention to? Simple, A Principle. If you live by a code, no matter what trial or tribulation you encounter, stick with it." Shun said.

"Principles?" Itachi asked. "Yeah. Goals, motivation, ambition, anything that keeps you focused. Just stick with it."

"Then what if it becomes too much?" Itachi asked. Rubbing his head with his small hand, Shun said. "No man is an island, Itachi. We, as humans, are social animals. We need other humans to survive."

"..."

"However, no two humans could ever be truly similar. Surround yourself with people that challenge how you think, and will hit you when you say or do something stupid, that's how life works. Create memories. Live happily, love, smile, get sad, cry. Cultivate your emotions but keep in mind the one thing that drives you." Shun advised, forgetting himself there for a moment.

"Remember my friend. When a man learns to love, he must bear the risk of losing it." Saying that Shun stood up and dusted himself. "Ou-to~ Yusano-nee-sama must be worried about me. Gotta get going... Here." Shun said and handed him a piece of paper, "Read it in your spare time."

Saying that, he Flash Stepped out of sight leaving Itachi to wallow in his own thoughts for a good while before looking at the piece of paper in his hands. On it read...

-Itachi-chan, watch your thoughts, they become your words... Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, they become your destiny. Cause destiny is written by our own hands, and how we behave goes a long way to affect it.-

"Is he really a kid?" Itachi asked himself as he folded back the piece of paper and put it away In his pocket. Looking at his reflection once again, he tried to smile and found it hard to do.

He had just seen the bright smile that Shun showed every so often and tried to emulate it but failed. "..." He looked at himself speechlessly. Then thinking of his family, his mother and soon to be born little brother, a very soft and comfortable smile appeared on his face making him look at his reflection in shock.

"I see." He said and closed his eyes as he tried to memorize that feeling.

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"Where have you been!?" The angry voice of Kushina resounded in the Namikaze Household as Shun knelt down in a Seiza position.

"I've been with a friend," Shun tried to explain for the nth time.

"Friend? Really? You?" Kushina asked skeptically. "For some reason, I feel offended." Shun said. "I just don't think you can make any friends with that attitude of yours."

"What attitude? I made a friend, that's the truth." Shun raised his voice at her.

"Did-Did you just raise your voice at me?" Kushina asked with her hairs rising, defying one of the basest rules of the universe. "I wouldn't dream of it ma'am," came Shun's swift reply.

"I sure hope so young man!" She said as it finally obeyed the rule of gravity. "And who's this friend of yours?" She asked.

"He's an Uchiha. Uchiha Itachi." Shun said with a proud smile.

"Oh? Mikoto's child? Really?" Kushina asked in glee. "Yup. He's a very troubled kid. You know me, I can't see a troubled kid and leave him hanging." Shun said and got comfortable in his sitting position.

"Oh. I heard from Mikoto that he's unlike kids his age after..." Kushina said but stopped midway.

"After his father took him to the battlefield." Shun completed. "He told me,"

"I see. You really did make a friend." Kushina said. "Of course I did." Shun said with a huff and stood up. "And where is Yusano-nee-sama and Kakashi?"

"They went to visit the cemetery... And why don't you show any respect to Kakashi when addressing him?" She asked.

"Simple. He hasn't shown me any reason to do so." Shun said and got comfortable at the dining table ready to be served.

"Aren't you supposed to show respect as the younger party?" Kushina asked as she went to put some food for the young Shun.

"Nope. Respect is earned, not given." Shun said

"I see." Kushina chuckled. "What a strange child." She muttered but Shun still heard it but smiled anyway.

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