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Burdened Soul: Uchiha SI Ch.49
🕑 Added 2025-04-11 04:52:50 +0000 UTCChapter 49
MINATO NAMIKAZE
The years had turned Izuna Uchiha from a boy into a formidable young man. Gone was the young boy and in his stead stood a nudding young man with a sharp, angulated face. His eyes remained sharp as ever, and yet the most significant change Minato felt was his chakra.
Being a natural sensor, his abilities allowed him to perceive the chakra of any shinobi in his surroundings. Yet even now, as Izuna-kun stood in front of him, he could not sense an ounce of his chakra—a feat that could only be replicated by one other shinobi—his sensei.
“It is good to have you back in the village, Izuna-kun,” he greeted the young man, who nodded as he stood there, clad in his black shirt and trousers and carrying a massive scroll strapped to his back.
“It's good to be back. I was getting rather tired of fighting Kiri-nin,” and hopefully there would be no more fighting with the war being over, and he raised a brow as he challenged.
“Kirigakure would not call it fighting. They would call it a slaughter,” and the Uchiha jounin shrugged.
“I wouldn’t take them at their words,” but he would. Minato had no qualms in admitting that Izuna-kun’s contributions during this war outmatched even his own and that he was perhaps the biggest name to come out of this war.
“Come sit down,” he offered as he unstrapped his scroll and took the seat opposite to him.
“I believe you must have heard my discussion with Lord Third,” and he neither accepted nor denied his words as he raised a brow.
And though it was never explicitly announced, those close to him and Izuna-kun knew of the real reason behind his aggressive posting.
“I want you to understand that I had to do this, for myself and for the village, lest I fell prey to very folley that ruined Lord Third’s tenure. You are the closest thing me and Kushina have to family, but your actions superseded my orders as your kage, and for that, I needed to do act,” to both draw a line and to hold himself and Izuna-kun accountable. It was a tough decision, but one he had needed to make as a Hokage.
“I understand. There is no need for any explanation. You did what you had to, just as I did what I had to do,” and though a part of him often wondered if he had done the right thing.
“Do you not regret it?” he asked, for these years would not have been easy for him. Five years spent on the front lines, with minimal visits, any other shinobi would have buckled under such pressure and circumstances. Yet, the hardships had only polished Izuna Uchiha, turning him from an elite A-ranked nin to a prolific S-ranked shinobi who inspired fear in the hearts of an entire nation.
“Not for a second,” and he had expected that. Minato loathed Danzo Shimura as well, hated him even as he learned about all of his deeds, yet, if there was anyone in the village whose anger eclipsed his own, it was the shinobi sitting in front of him.
He remembered little of Shisui Uchiha, though he knew that Izuna-kun and him were as close as two friends could be, and Danzo Shimura’s actions had been the reason for his death.
He had often wondered just what drove Izuna-kun to excel as he did, and after reading about Danzo’s actions, it all began to make sense.
“Has there been any news from Jiraiya-sama?” the young boy asked, and Minato’s entire body stiffened at those words, as his eyes sharpened up.
He shook his head as the young Uchiha scion’s lips thinned.
Like Izuna-kun, his sensei had been away from the village for the last five years on a secret mission. Only three people in the entire village were aware of its contents, for his sensei was out searching for a nin most the world thought long dead.
A monster powerful enough to destroy the entire world—Madara Uchiha.
“Him and his unit have found nothing,” and that was troubling.
“Sometimes I even wonder if all of it was just a genjutsu.” After all, Obito was under the influence of a genjutsu when he had attacked the village; what if his memories had been altered as well?
“No, there is no genjutsu that could do that.” Izuna-kun’s voice was cold and stern as he rebuffed his idea.
“Those memories were real. Madara Uchiha is still alive,” and he spoke with such certainty that he could not refute him, not when he had been right so many times.
“Has there been any change in his condition,” he asked, and his lips tersed as Minato shook his head as his eyes dropped to the picture sitting at the side of the table, of a much younger him standing behind three young promising genin.
His team.
And yet each time he looked at it, his heart ached, for all of them had been taken from him in one way or another.
“No, Obito remains just as you left him,” and after the attack, when they had uncovered the identity of the masked nin, they were forced into a choice, one which would haunt any man as he was forced to choose between his two students.
Yet even then, Izuna-kun had stepped up and had pushed himself beyond the norm to save them both, or at least do as much as he could for them both.
In the end, despite his best efforts, he could do little as Obito became a lifeless corpse, while Rin barely clung to life.
“Though I do have some concerning news about Rin.” and Izuna’s eyes shifted at his words. Given his status as the Head of the Fifth Division, Izuna would already have an inkling about what he was about to say.
“She is out of time,” and it ached his heart that he could do nothing for her. He was a kage, and yet he could do nothing to save his precious students.
“It is time that we search for her replacement,” and that was his duty. And with his own sensei away from the village, he had no choice but to rely on Izuna-kun to carry out such a mission.
“And that is to be your new mission, to find me an appropriate host for the Sanbi,” and the young man leaned back, racking his mind as he quietly added.
“What about my other suggestion? About setting it free?” and as tempting as it was, the world was not yet ready. Konoha was not yet ready.
“I know that the Tailed Beasts are intelligent sentient creatures, yet in the current circumstances with Iwa and Kumo eyeing the village, I cannot let it be free,” for the Sanbi was perhaps the biggest deterrent they had against Kumo and Iwa, apart from the Kyubi.
“But I do sympathize with their plight, so I have an offering.” With that, he reached into his drawer and took out a scroll, one that was an amalgamation of over two years of research and work.
“This is a new seal that I have developed to seal the bijuu. One that is far easier on the tailed beast than any other,” and he took the scroll and began to skim over it.
“Convince the Sanbi to accept this new seal. It is the best I can offer him at the current time,” and after a few minutes, Izuna-kun nodded as he pocketed the seal.
“I will see what I can do,” and that was all he could ask of him.
“About the new jinchuriki, though, there is something I wish to share with you about that,” and that surprised him a bit, as he nodded.
“During the war with Kiri, I heard a rather interesting rumor about a particular village.” he wondered what he was getting at.
“Which village and what rumor?”
“A minor village known as Kusagakure…”
0000
ITACHI UCHIHA
Much had changed for him and the Uchiha clan in the last five years. Though the village was engaged in a war, the limited scope of the conflict meant that little had changed within the village from peacetime.
However, after the tragedy of that night five years ago, many things had changed, as the Uchiha clan finally gained their long-awaited opportunity to showcase their prowess and importance within the Leaf’s Police Force. During the conflict, the Uchiha clan had been the first to mobilise, putting themselves between the enemy and the villagers at great risk and cost.
Their actions had earned them much goodwill as the villagers finally realised the importance of the Police Force, a unit which many people had considered useless and redundant.
After that, a war had begun, and even in that conflict, a member of their clan was chosen to lead the assault. The clan had felt honored by that, and it had done much to heal the relationship between the clan and the village.
As for himself, Itachi graduated around three years ago because of an appeal made by the Academy’s staff, who felt they had nothing to teach him anymore. He had thought that he would join a team, yet given his talent and ability, he was inducted into the Police Force by their father.
However, others may think it all to be favouritism and nepotism. Though, he doubted that they would feel the same if they endured a day of his training. In the end, he had rocketed through the ranks at the Police Force, and now three years later, while still being a genin according to shinobi ranks, he was now the head trainer of the Police Force, a rank only succeeded by the Vice Commander and Commander of the Police Force.
Because of its vast roster and daily patrols, the police force did not train together. Each unit was simply evaluated once a month and graded on its progress by the instructor, and today, he was supposed to evaluate and guide one such unit.
The three-man unit stood infront of him, all of them busy talking and gossiping with another as he stood there, waiting for them to turn their attention towards him.
As they continued to ignore him, Itachi finally lost his patience. He took out his kunai and threw it at the gong placed at the edge of the field without a single glance.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The three-nin finally became aware of him as they turned to face him.
“What are you doing, kid?” their captain asked, turning to face him, snarling as he gave him a mean stare.
“Not kid. My name is Itachi Uchiha,” he corrected him politely as he stepped forward.
“I am the new Head Instructor of the Police Force. Given my age, you can all refer to me simply as Itachi,” he introduced himself, and the grey-haired captain seemed taken aback as the kunoichi clicked her tongue.
“You have got to be kidding me,” whispered the kunoichi as the third member of the unit chimed in.
“Has the Commander lost his mind? Making a kid the Instructor?” and Itachi wanted to groan as soon as he heard those words, for though a shinobi was taught to look beyond the obvious, the cruel truth was that few had the intellect and the ability to do so.
Most of the shinobi rarely thought beyond the superficial, though his own clan was much more prone to this folly because of their arrogance.
“Do you have any idea who we are?” questioned the captain as Itachi raked his mind.
“I believe you are the Kirigaya unit,” he answered, and the man nodded.
“Yes, and we are ranked number three. We are one of the most accomplished units in the Police Force. There is nothing that a brat like you could teach us,” he spoke haughtily taunting him, like an academy student.
“Go back and play with your toys, kid. We are done here,” and with that, they turned away as Itachi shook his head, for he had been given this mission by his father, and there was no way that he was going to disappoint him.
And so, in the blink of an eye, he reached for the kunai in his pocket and threw them at the three ninjas. The blades whipped past them, grazing their cheeks before they each hit each other and spread out in three different directions.
“What the hell!” the captain snarled as he turned around to face him as Itachi stepped forward.
“I am afraid I was not yet done with your assessment,” he spoke as the three of them glared at him.
“But given your confidence, I will make you all an offer,” and so he stepped forward as he formed a tiger seal, and the ground between the three kunai shifted, forming a light border around them in the shape of a triangle.
“Your unit will have three minutes to remove me from this circle. If you succeed in doing so, I will give you the highest marks, and make sure that your unit does not have to report for any more mandatory training sessions,” and he saw their captain chuckle.
“Such arrogance,” he said as Itachi shrugged.
“Though if I succeed in pushing all of you out of this triangle, I will simply fail you all and demote you to the lowest rank possible,” and their faces shifted at his threat.
“Is this a joke to you, kid?” the female kunoichi raged at him. Aiko Uchiha was her name. A kunoichi specialising in Shuriken techniques, according to her file.
“No,” he answered simply, enraging her further.
“There are three of us and only one of you. And you are a kid. It is unfair,” and his eyes narrowed, as he grew tired of it all.
SCHWING!
And in the blink of an eye he was infront of her, and he kicked her in the stomach, and she flew across the air and hit the tree behind her.
BANG!
“What the hell!” “You bastard!” the two nin screamed as they tried to attack him, yet as they hit him, his body morphed into a sea of crows, as they finally realised that they had become a victim of his genjutsu as Itachi appeared in his original position, his sharingan spinning ominously as he spoke up.
“It is indeed a bit unfair,” he began, as the two Uchiha glared at him, disrupting their chakra to break out his genjutsu. Though they did not realise that he had layered his technique, they had broken down only the most superficial layer.
“You do not have nearly enough men!”
.
.
.
And so, for the next five minutes, they fought as Itachi evaluated the skills of the three nin, and much to his dismay, he found them rather lacking. Though perhaps, he had overestimated his clansmen, who had grown rather haughty with all the praise and applause hauled upon them by the village.
Or perhaps it was his yardstick that was at fault here. Even then, he could quickly tell that his elder brother could have taken on all three of them before he had turned even ten.
RING! RING! RING!
And so, after five minutes, he stood alone in the bounded triangle as the three members of the Kirigaya Unit lay outside the triangle, beaten and broken, as the alarm bell rang, marking the end of time.
“SHIT!” “YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!” “BASTARD!”
The captain, Kirigaya Uchiha, hit the ground with his fists as Itachi looked at him.
“I am afraid we have reached our conclusion,” he said as he stopped the clock.
“I must say, this went much worse than I had expected,” and it was indeed. Perhaps, this was why his father had appointed him as the Head Instructor.
“I am dismayed that the abilities of the Police Force have fallen so much,” but he would rectify that.
“Yet I will change that,” and he would need to rethink his plans, and establish a whole new training regiment for the entire force. His mind raced with thoughts and plans as he turned away from the three-man unit.
“Your evaluations will be available to you at the front desk by evening. As per our agreed terms, the Kirigaya unit will be demoted to the lowest rank and will now have to undergo mandatory weekly eva....” But as he was speaking, the captain of the unit stood up and raced through a set of familiar hand seals.
“Like hell we will!” he snarled in a rage, shouting.
“Katon: Fireball jutsu!” and a rather underwhelming ball of fire rushed toward him. Just as he was about to reach for his tanto, he felt a shadow whip through the air, and a person appeared in front of him.
His movements were so fast, his chakra so controlled, that it was mesmerising to Itachi. And they simply raised their hand. As the katon ninjutsu clashed with their hand, it simply dissipated, turning into nothing as Kirigaya Uchiha’s eyes widened.
“What the...” he whispered as this stranger stepped forward.
“It seems that you lot have forgotten your manners,” he said, and despite it being some time, it took him but a second to recognise that voice. As Itachi’s eyes widened, he realised just who this person was.
And the three Uchiha nins all paled as well, as the tall stranger stepped forward. And though he wore a smile on his face, his eyes with their slit pupils, adorned by the characteristic purple markings, promised only death and destruction as his chakra filled the air.
CRACK! CRACK!
“GUGH!” and the effect was instant as the three Uchiha nin were pushed to their knees, just by the sheer pressure of his chakra as his elder brother reached the captain who had unleashed the jutsu on him.
“You have some nerve attacking my little brother while he was kind enough to make time to train you useless lot,” and that was a tad dramatic for him, for this was his duty.
“And rather than listening to him, you attack him like cowards. If you are all so dissatisfied with his teachings, perhaps you will feel much better having me as your teacher,” and they all paled at those words, for it was well known that his brother’s teaching methods were deemed inhumane even by their own father.
And he raised his foot, as the three nin remained rooted to the ground.
“Or better yet, I should simply crush you lot like the useless pests that yo...”
“THAT IS ENOUGH!” Another voice cut through the air, and his brother’s presence thinned through the air as he looked to the side and saw that his father had come to the training yard.
“Step away from Captain Kirigaya, Izuna,” his father commanded, and for a second, he feared that his brother would defy their father as their eyes met for a second.
Yet in the end, his brother nodded and stepped away as he turned towards the grey-haired captain.
“Though I do not disagree with his conclusion. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. You are not even worthy of bearing the name of the Uchiha clan. Go and clean yourself up, and then report to the office of the Vice Commander after the evening patrol,” and their faces flushed with embarrassment as the three of them saluted.
“Yes, sir.”
“Leave us!” his father commanded, and they vanished as Itachi suddenly shifted his head to the side as he avoided the two fingers aimed at his forehead.
“Damn, you have grown up haven’t you, little brother,” and he rubbed his eyes narrowed as he saw the smile on his brother’s face.
“I have,” he said proudly, for this was the first time he had evaded his attack. His elder brother straightened up as he looked into his eyes.
“I had it handled, you know. You did not need to intervene,” he added.
“I know, but what kind of a brother would stand by and let someone else attack his cute little brother?” and he pouted.
“I am not your cute little brother,” Izuna-nii chuckled, and it had been some time since he had heard him say that.
“You will always be my cute little brother,” and it came in an instant, as Itachi found himself unable to move an inch as a sharp pain seared through his forehead as his brother appeared infront of him.
“Ouch!” he winced, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.
“I win,” he said as their father finally spoke up.
“It's good to have you back, Izuna,” he said as his brother took a deep breath.
“It is good to be back...”
0000
Comments
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the chapter.
Almaz Zakytkazy
Thanks for the chapter!
Tj321
First lol clicked on this right away
