School had just started a few weeks ago, and a certain young boy who was at the age of seven had already been the talk of the academy as well as the town. He was a genius! He wasn’t only good in his classes and academics, but he was also good when it came to physical activities and mind games, certainly, everybody bet their money on him to be the number one rookie for the year and the next years that are still to come.
During the ninth of June, the first son of the proud parents, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, had been born. A healthy young boy who looked like his father at the most was the pride of the clan starting from that day. During the early stages of his childhood, he was trained in order to be the best in order for him to uphold their clan and be a worthy possessor of their Kekkei genkai— the Sharingan. For years, when he had begun to understand the things around him, he was trained under the supervision of his father. Always aiming for perfection and excellence was the upbringing that he received. Once he had been able to retain this at the back of his mind, he was able to attain it. It was a natural talent, the genius this boy had, and for that he was viewed to be the best. A member of one of the most influential and most feared clans in Konohagakure no Sato, he was know by the name of Uchiha Itachi.
Everyone fell silent as the classroom doors opened only to reveal the quiet young boy. There were no traces of emotion in his face nor was there care lingering in them. His focus was great as his silence masked his true personality and being. The moment he took his first step inside the room, the girls in his class became a little bit flustered and red. Almost every one of them wanted to share their seats with him. He would always avoid it though. Sitting at the back of the class, alone, minding his own business as he listened to the teacher that spoke. But this time it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to escape their clutches seeing that his usual table and seat at the back was occupied. The face was unfamiliar to him which brought about a slight curiosity that he shrugged off whilst he walked towards his desired seat. He didn’t like the thought of sitting next to anticipating girls that would probably just gawk at him as he concentrated on his academic work, nor sitting beside other boys who flaunted and boasted the little talent that they had which would end up as an unwanted nuisance to try and bring him down…all that…he found very useless. Deciding to just stick to his usual table, he strode gracefully towards the back and stopped at his usual desk. He looked at the person sitting on his spot blankly, his eyes scanning and observing the person in every way that he could.
“Move…”
He said calmly as he fixated his gaze at the person who was merely looking straight forward. Soon enough the person faced him slowly and glanced at him, meeting his gaze. Although he didn’t show any sign of being startled, he was, partly. It would have been the first time that he saw a girl that had the same facial expression that he had. Charcoal colored eyes held its own depths that would easily distract one who was not in focus. She had a different kind of charm that lingered about her features. The way she looked and the way she had moved was somehow enchanting, as if she was art in motion. Without much of a hesitation or second thought, she moved towards the center of the bench and kept silent while looking back to the front. She merely remained quiet and didn’t even utter a single word. She wasn’t like the rest of the girls in his class. She seemed to have no interest. That was a good thing for him. It meant that there was no distraction that would hinder his study.
Soon enough the teacher entered the classroom. Classes were about to begin for the day. As the teacher entered the premises, the students went back to their respective seats and held their tongues. The youngsters knew how to behave and had respect for the ones in charge. Their attitudes seemed promising, the only thing that they lacked was the right amount of skill to graduate from the academy; although, this was only the start of the year. They have approximately ten months in order to prove themselves worthy of graduating and becoming future shinobis of the hidden village of the leaf.
“Everyone…”
The teacher, once he got behind his desk called for everyone’s attention. He then gestured for the unfamiliar girl at the back to step upfront. Slowly, the girl stood up from her seat and gracefully walked towards the teacher wherein she faced her new classmates who looked at her as if she was an unwanted presence inside the room. She on the other hand, while seeing this, averted her gaze towards something else. She didn’t really take kindly to those who stared at her as if she was a monster of some sort.
“Now everyone I would like you to meet our new student in the academy. Her name is Saiki Fuzen. She’s kind of shy and doesn’t talk too much, but be kind to her okay?”
After the introduction made by their teacher, Saiki merely nodded once then went back to her seat. She found such kind of things as a waste of time. Upon sitting down, she sighed softly and resumed to look forward, not glancing at the boy beside her, not finding the need to do so anyway.
From the corner of his eye, Itachi looked at the new comer. Intriguing… He thought as she sat back down and sighed. She had somehow reminded him of how he was when first introduced to the class. He had a blank look on his face and never even said a word. Even after he was introduced to everyone, he only nodded as a response. They had the exact same reaction, and truly, that seemed a bit nostalgic for him. It wasn’t long before he shrugged the thought out of his head and focused his attention at the teacher who had begun to give out his lecture. Most of these things he already knew, why he listened was mainly to gain additional information.
Saiki was listening for the same reason. Apparently, she already had some knowledge about the lesson. Once in a while she would scribble on a piece of paper, not really focusing much on what their sensei was saying.
“Okay. Can someone tell me what a ninja should remember while doing a mission?”
The teacher suddenly asked as he looked at the students who fell silent. He scratched at the back of his head as he saw their reaction. No one intended to raise their hands to answer. They stared at him blankly and dumbfounded, it was as if they never expected him to ask such questions during that time. In other words, they were caught off guard.
“Come on. You can give at least one…anyone???”
He asked again, looking quite hopeless that no one would really be able to answer his question. It was a rather simple one. A basic question that keeps the students in track of what they have to remember if ever they are on a mission.
“Ninjas are tools that should feel no emotion or remorse for the enemy. This is one way of avoiding death on the battle field.”
“That’s absolutely correct.”
The teacher then looked up and acknowledged the one who spoke. He already knew that the Uchiha had spoken, but he heard another voice that mixed with the young boy’s.
He couldn’t help but feel the tension as he saw the Uchiha and the new comer glaring at each other. They had both said the same thing in unison. It was rather hard not to notice.
At the moment their words ended, they found themselves staring intently at each other’s eyes. The intensity was there, and it never left. What kind of coincidence was that? Having both the same answer, it was just not right. Where they really thinking alike? No it seemed to be impossible. No one person thinks alike.
Soon enough, the teacher trotted towards the two students at the back, followed by some bewildered stares from the other classmates. He tried to stop the two’s intense glaring at each other which resulted to him getting both of them to throw a glare at him. Feeling the heavy pressure between the two, he backed away. The moment he did, the two glared at each other again, then, an audible “hmph” was heard before the two broke the eye contact. Both facing at a different direction, they crossed their arms and with one quick glance, their eyes slanted as if a subconscious challenge was forming.
