•Chapter 6•
"Commander, we need to fall back. The scouting team has lost contact with us, the communication has been sabotaged. There's a mole among us. We have to retreat!" A burly man spoke, his tone full of worry despite the menancing aura released from his appearance.
"Do I look like I give a fuck?" the commander replied as he twirled around with the leather chair, completely diregarding the worry of his subordinate with a small wave of his gloved hand.
The commander, a young teen with black hair and signature blood glowing eyes polish his beloved weapon that he use to shed blood on the battlegrounds. His long black hair made him look feminime, but if one were to lower their guard down for even a second they wouldn't know how they died.
"But commander! We lost the scouting team which means we're going blind! if we go now we're going to be ambushed by enemy terrains!" The subordinate shouted, saliva splattering around.
Instantaneously, the room's temperature dropped like a supernatural force had tampered with it, causing the burly man to feel a chill down his spine as he began to sweat an unhealthy amount of cold sweat.
"Shut it, know your fucking place vermin." The commander spoke with a tone of distaste, his eyes glowing the signature scarlet hue as he look at the man bowing in front of him, his predator-like gaze scruntinizing the man's quivering figure.
"Y-yes." the burly man squeaked out. It was a funny scene to watch, a burly man who seemed to have pissed his pants because he was scared of a teen much smaller, younger and fragile-looking than he is.
"Report to the higher-up. You know who." The commander then nonchalantly continued as he began to polish his nails now. It seems that the he, as even as the commander now had to do everything on his own again, he couldn't rely on these brainless muscle-heads and wimps.
* * *
The little Uchiha woke up.
He remembered he dreamt of something— something important but he doesn't remember his dream. He was sure he had remembered it just a second ago. But then it went poof.
He frowned.
"Riku-chan? Breakfast is ready." Kakashi knocked on the door and entered the room.
"What are you doing? Is something the matter?" asked Kakashi.
The little Uchiha answered by shaking his head and hop off the bed, making his way to wash up before he ate his breakfast.
"Itadakimasu." he said, before devouring the meal; miso soup, rice, some side dishes and a cup of orange juice. "Thank you for the food." Riku finished off.
The little Uchiha then walk around the house, taking his time to explore the unfamiliar residence with the company of the adorable brown pug.
"Want to touch my bean?" Pakkun asked.
"You can talk?" Riku ask, eyes twinkling with admiration.
"Yea, kiddo." said Pakkun as he showed off his cute little beans underneath his paw.
The Uchiha marvelled at the cuteness of the pug and squished it, enjoying the feeling of a weird sense satisfaction from doing so.
Kakashi, who hid away from sight, internally sighed a breath of relief again when he saw that the Uchiha was adapting well and still oblivious to reality
* * *
After several years had passed, circa 3 years, the Uchiha moved out of the Hatake house and lived on his own.
He was finally 5-6 years old, which meant that he would be eligible to study in the Academy and live alone without the need of an authorative figure. And in that time interval, the Hokage and Kakashi never revealed the truth nor did Riku wanted to inquire further and confirm his suspicions.
The Uchiha pack up his clothes (which were just outfits consisting of identical black shirts and white pants that reached his knees) and bid farewell to the man who took care of him in the absence of his mother. He let his long black hair free (the Uchiha decided to keep his hair long to commemorate his mother).
Riku then held the Hokage's hand and walk to his new house, a small apartment near the park where one could see the Hokage monument in the window by the stove area.
It was cold despite the lovely and simplicity design the apartment had. It ooze of loneliness, probably because the little Uchiha would now have to live alone.
And he feared, of the things he would encounter when he is alone. It was a peculiar and uncomfortable feeling that has grown from unknown origins, but if there was one thing Riku knew, he knew that being alone would reveal some things he didn't want to know- no, perhaps some things he knew but has turned a blind eye on.
"Do you like your new home?" the Hokage ask the little Uchiha staring at the place.
Not wanting to be rude, the Uchiha nodded despite the repulsive feeling he felt when he thought of living alone.
* * *
The one thing a human would've at least felt once, loneliness. At some point, one would've felt the feeling it was a feeling that the even the richest would feel despite being surrounded by wealth, power and glory.
The little Uchiha spread his limbs on the new bed, his gaze fixated on the unlit lamp hanging on the centre of his bedroom. The sunlight penetrated the large window beside the bed and provided an illumination which helped save the Uchiha on electrical bill.
"Riku, do you really not remember your dream?" he ask himself, constantly pondering over why he felt such dread when he tried to remember the dream.
"Really, what am I doing. Talking to myself like a crazy person." he sarcastically laugh.
Just before his eyes close off to enter dreamland, the Uchiha saw a vague figure of the teen he saw years ago. Smirking, as if to taunt him as his red glowing eyes full of ridicule reflected his obsidian eyes.
"Just how low have you gotten, ————" The youth said with a jester-like tone that sounded like a taunt, but the little Uchiha was unable to decipher the question as his eyes grew heavier by the milisecond and his consciousness quickly slip away like a slimy lubricant.
* * *