Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It wasn't the first mass funeral that Kaen attended, but he hoped it would be the last. The Third Hokage watched over the funeral, speaking a few words before leaving the last of the Uchiha clan to grieve their clan. Kaen did feel sad, but mostly for Mikoto and Sasuke. Even though he felt terrible for the rest of the innocent, he didn't care for most of the clan members.

"They are looking at us," Sasuke commented.

"They pity us," Kaen replied. "Try to ignore it. To them, we are nothing but pitiable beings."

"We are not," Sasuke said.

"They don't understand it," Kaen told Sasuke.

Everyone at the funeral looked at them with pity in their eyes. They were mostly civilians to them. Kaen and Sasuke were just children who had lost their families. Kaen was sure that these people didn't even know that he never had a family. To Kaen, they all were ignorant people who hoped to relate to the shinobi.

Kaen stayed with Sasuke over the tombstones of his parents. He put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder when he started to shake, but to Kaen's surprise, Sasuke held back his tears, and when it got dark, they both left for their homes. Kaen followed Sasuke until he returned and left for his own home.

The Uchiha compound was cleared. Even looking, you hardly could find any signs of fighting there. There was not even a blood drop or damaged roads and buildings. The Third Hokage took good care to hide the massacre. With the funeral, the ordeal was done for the rest of the village, and only a couple of Uchiha are left as a reminder.

…

In the past few days, Kaen watched over Sasuke as he pushed himself to his limits in training. As of now, Kaen was the head of the clan, with no position of power. He would officially take his seat when he was promoted to chunin. He would need to serve Jiraiya for a couple of years to get the opportunity.

"It is enough for today," Kaen told Sasuke. "You should be resting, anyway."

"I still can go on."

"What do you think this will accomplish?" Kaen asked. "You only use your anger, hatred, and frustration to push your body. That is not a way to get stronger."

"Then what should I do?"

"You get stronger progressively by training systematically. You won't truly improve your skills in a day or two. It will happen after a year or two by training every day."

"I can't wait. Itachi is there somewhere. What if he returns to finish what he started?"

"You are underestimating the village. If Itachi returned, he would be killed. The Third Hokage might look old and feeble, but he could crush Itachi at any moment. So, as long as you are within the village, you will be safe. Focus on your training, and don't rush it."

Kaen hoped Sasuke would listen to his words. Kaen didn't know what was going on in Sasuke's mind, but it was unhealthy for him to focus on death and hatred all the time. He needed to push his mindset beyond those thoughts and feelings. But in the end, Kaen couldn't control him and only gave him some advice.

…

Kaen was summoned to the Hokage office today. It has been a somber week for Kaen after he returned to the village. The nightmares never stopped, and his worry for Sasuke's well-being didn't lessen. The boy would push himself too much. Even though Kaen knew and understood why he did it, it didn't change the fact that it wasn't an excellent method to get stronger.

Kaen found the Third Hokage sitting by his table. Kaen wasn't surprised by the mountain of papers on the table, nor did the Third Hokage's concerned face. It was clear that he was overworking. Kaen hadn't seen the Third Hokage since the funeral, so he knew something must be going on for him to be summoned.

"So, he is the one I will have to take care of?" A giant man with long spiky hair asked after Kaen entered the office.

"It has been some time, Jiraiya of the Sannin," Kaen greeted the man.

It was clear Jiraiya wasn't happy with it, but he wouldn't defy his teacher's and Hokage's orders. Kaen smiled at Jiraiya's frustrated face. He didn't care for his feelings. He was the only one who could keep watch over him, so Kaen could move freely. Kaen didn't want to stay in the village where he would be watched by the ANBU and Root all the time.

"Be prepared to leave at the end of the week," Jiraiya told Kaen. "You can leave us now."

Kaen nodded, then greeted the Hokage before leaving. Part of Kaen was excited to leave the village for the first time. It was time to turn a new leaf in his life. Kaen was sure that to grow stronger, he needed to experience the outside world and do some actual missions. Real battles would make him grow faster.

…

Jiraiya looked at the Uchiha brat that had imprisoned him, leaving his teacher's office. He didn't know how to feel about the brat. On the one hand, the brat was annoying and arrogant, and he didn't like him much. On the other hand, the brat just went through a life-and-death experience and had lost almost all he knew.

"What do you think?" The Third Hokage asked.

"I don't like him," Jiraiya replied. "He's too sure of himself."

"I would disagree. I think he's too unsure of himself."

"Anyway, I only need to keep a watch over him."

"And teach him. He is the future of the village."

Jiraiya didn't like to be responsible for the Uchiha brat. He still remembered how that brat blackmailed him. But he could throw a few jutsu at the brat from time to time and call it a day. If it wasn't his teacher who asked that, he wouldn't even consider it. Still, finding out that the whole clan has been massacred shocked Jiraiya.

Fugaku Uchiha was one of the most powerful shinobi in the village, and hearing that he died at his own son's hands was shocking. The wicked eye didn't survive, yet a boy the same age as Itachi had. Jiraiya didn't like it. He will have to find out what this Kaen Uchiha is hiding, even if he has to keep watch over him all the time.

…

Faster, Itachi would have already finished this course. Sasuke was too slow once again. He had seen how Itachi ran through the forest many times, hitting all the targets with his kunai. So why couldn't he do it? What was he lacking? Skill? Determination? Or talent? Sasuke never thought he was as good as Itachi, but he believed the difference wasn't that big.

"Patience," A voice said from behind Sasuke. "You lack the patience."

"I don't have time for your riddles, Kaen."

"It isn't a riddle," Kaen replied. "Itachi would memorize the target position, the route he would take when aiming his kunai. You? You just run from beginning to end, hoping the next run will be faster."

"It isn't that simple," Sasuke tried to argue.

"It isn't," Kaen agreed. "It isn't easy to memorize every detail in your route, every branch, shadow, and root. But Itachi did it. That's why he could efficiently run and hit every target while seamlessly not even looking. He took his time at the start of the course to braze through it."

"Fine, I will be more patient," Sasuke couldn't help but grumble.

"That's all I ask," Kaen smiled. "I will be leaving at the end of the week."

"What?" Sasuke didn't like it. Kaen was the only one left that was constant in this life. He didn't want Kaen to go, as Sasuke thought he would train him until he was prepared to take on Itachi. "When are you returning?"

"I will try to return once or twice a year, but sometimes it might be difficult," Kaen replied. "I have set your training schedule for the year, don't try to push over it, as it will be already taxing on your body. I as well prepared your diet. Your body is still growing, and you will need sufficient nutrients. I set up what you should eat and how much."

"Will it be enough to reach Itachi?"

"Don't be stupid. Itachi isn't someone you even see right now. You have no idea how powerful and skilled Itachi is. Now you will improve your basics, and then we shall see."

"How long would it take?"

"Ten years, I would say, before you reached a similar level to Itachi. Don't rush it. You are as if not more talented than Itachi, but copying him won't make you stronger than him. It will only make you similar to him."

Sasuke wanted to trust Kaen, and part of him did, but ten years were too long. What was he supposed to do if he didn't reach a similar level as Itachi? He had to kill him, for Sasuke knew Itachi would come to finish his job. He had to kill Itachi for his clan and family; otherwise, he couldn't live with himself.

…

It took some time for Kaen to convince Sasuke to take care of Ash, but in the end, the boy accepted the task. Kaen hoped Ash would give some distraction from Sasuke as he feared that Sasuke might go mad with nothing but revenge on his mind. Kaen would have to return at least once a year to check on him.

"You ready to go?" The Sannin asked Kaen by the entrance of the village.

"As ready as I can be," Kaen replied. "I had said my goodbyes."

"Good for you," Jiraiya replied. "We will go fast, so be prepared."

Kaen only nodded and looked back at the bustling village. The village entrance was bustling, with merchants and travelers going in and out. Kaen had already said his farewells to Yugao and Sasuke. Thinking about it, Kaen felt kind of disappointed to have so few people to say goodbyes to, but he had only himself to blame.