37

~4 years Later~~

"You truly are a prodigy… To think I can't find any flaws at all"

Above the creek, the two shinobis stood opposite each other, and the scarlet Sharingan firmly stare locked at each other. But still, to think he was losing to a guy much younger than him.

Shisui couldn't help but admire his best friend Itachi Uchiha. The prodigy in the making.

Just 2 years ago, he graduated from the academy creating a sensation of a lifetime when he completed the entire academy of 4 years in mere 11 months.

Last year at the age of 10, Itachi gave the Chunin exam and passed with flying colors. Becoming the first-ever shinobi to take and pass the Chūnin exam all alone, creating yet another sensation throughout the village.

Naturally, Itachi's mind-blowing performance attracted a great deal of attention. Especially Hokage's and Danzo's. There are rumors that Itachi joined Anbu this year. It's been only 3 years since 8-year-old Itachi first joined the academy, and now, at the age of 11, he is already an Anbu. This is a talent never seen before.

"You don't have to give me fake compliments. I know you are not going all out yet...", Itachi said, and Shisui grinned.

"Then I will go all out", Waving hand signs, Shisui puffed his cheeks and did a Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!!!

Powerful Fire Style Chakra gathered in his throat and burst out in one breath. In a blink of an eye, a huge ball of fire trailed Itachi. If he is not careful, Itachi might even turn into ashes right here..!

Watching such a huge scorching fireball in front of him, Itachi couldn't help but admire his friend in his heart, but the movements of his hands did not stop at all.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bomb Jutsu!!"

With the help of the water underneath his feet, Itachi released a powerful water-style Jutsu, and in the blink of an eye, a raging water dragon directly slammed into the Great Fireball, creating a huge amount of water vapor.

However, a surprise waited for Shisui as a lightning dragon roared within the mist. And a bolt of lightning dragon swallowed Shisui in the blink of an eye!

"To think you already placed a clone in your place in mid-attack. Impressive", Itachi said as countless black crows emerged from the dust cloud where Shisui once stood.

"Since the opponent is you… Of course, I wouldn't be so careless!!"

Itachi only felt a gust of wind blowing by his side as he saw Shisui already standing by his side. Taking the Kunai from its hostler, Itachi swings it to his side. However, what he attacked was just an afterimage.

Shisui was already standing behind Itachi with his kunai positioned on the young one's neck.

Itachi smiled, "I lost. Again", Shisui grin

...

On the other side of the village, a man played a melodic tune with his jet-black flute on a certain branch of a tree covered in snow. Watching the snow gently falling onto the ground.

He was back from yet another mission; the misery unlike others, he does his job and then eats and sleeps, before waking up from a nightmare and back to killing.

There were many things he did not want to remember, things he wished he could forget. The memories keep haunting him every waking moment it could, that's why he is overdosing on anti-depression pills these days.

"If you really are the Hyuga, then show us your Byakugan!"

Unknowingly, Ghost stopped for a moment before he resumed playing the song.

"No? Then don't look at us"

"Yea. Your eyes are really creepy!"

Three big children, about eight or nine years old, were surrounding a little girl under the tree Ghost was playing the song, strangely enough, none of them noticed him, or even heard anything.

But how could they, they were just children; busy making fun of the little girl's pure white eyes, one of the chubby children laughed and pushed her...

Hinata's eyes glistened as she squatted in tears, but the boys did not stop bullying her nor did Ghost stop them. However, he need not do so because his senses picked up something. A knight in shining armor.

"Hey! Cut it out!"

A kid around her age with dazzling yellow hair and an orange sweater rushed toward them.

"Huh? Who are you?"

The three bullies turned around and asked the unknown kid.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I am the future Hokage! Believe it!"

The yellow-haired child yelled at three children who were older and bigger than him!

"Future Hokage? Hahaha, are you an idiot?"

"Wait. I know him. He's that kid my mother told me not to play with!"

"Oh! It's that the kid!"

Infuriated Naruto made a single-hand sign.

"A hand sign? Is he a Ninja?", The three children were stunned by seeing Naruto using a hand sign, but what appeared next made them laugh with great gusto because with a poof..!! of smoke, a lifeless doll came out and fell on the floor.

Hahahaha

However, what happened next was not expected by any one of them. Naruto tackled them and punched the biggest kid. But how could a 6-year-old kid be a match for them?

They all pushed and hit him, but to their surprise, Naruto barely manage to dodge all of their attacks. No, it's like their attacks are always barely out of range. And for some reason or another, his fists hit like a truck.

Ghost continues to play the flute with a smile and a peaceful expression.

"Leader, we received the information you wanted", A masked Anbu appeared next to him while standing on the branch.

Despite being called, Ghost did not stop blowing at his flute, however.

"According to our investigation and Jiraiya sama's numerous investigations over the years", The Anbu stop for a moment before resuming to speak, "We are almost certain, he is dead"

Ghost still did not stop playing the flute.

The Anbu looked down at the bigger kids running for their lives with bruised faces, and Uzumaki Naruto stood without a single scratch on his body with lots of confusion.

'Seriously?', The Anbu got confused and looked at Ghost, wondering if the leader of the ANBU assassination squad has gone mad.

He always wondered why is the kid so important, that leader would spare no expense to protect this brat, it's always been like that, but in these last few years, it escalated so much more...

It raises the question as to what happened in Kiri that made the demon itself become soft..!! It's not just one or two things, but a whole list of events.

His eyes fell upon the Jinchuriki brat, wondering what was so special about this boy that the leader would go to such lengths to defend him.

He remembered clearly how the leader used to be. A cold-blooded murderer. Ghost could kill anyone just because he wished to. He had no mercy toward any living creature, and even if someone died by accident, he would never show any sign of regret.

Not to mention the lives he destroyed are countless in number, and most of his enemies if not all are dead, and the rest who survived had their lives turned into a living hell. A demon like him cannot possibly love, care, or have the feelings of a normal human.

But then again, it's not impossible. Something made it possible. Something changed him, made him soft, and that something is unknown...!

Ghost finally stops playing and put his hands down, "Why do you mean by almost certain?"

The Anbu looks at the assassin and nodded knowing that he got the man's attention.

"Uchiha Obito's body was destroyed when he gave his Sharingan to Kakashi Hatake. That's the most we can determine at the latest, going by the confirmed reports by Jiraiya sama"

"I know what those reports say...", Ghost said while looking somewhere far away.

The Anbu lowered his head, "I am sorry sir, this is as far as we can confirm. But based on the clues and our investigation we are 99% sure that Uchiha Obito is dead"

The Anbu stop talking since Ghost was not listening to him but calmly looking at the woods, he was confused as to what was in there and sure enough, his question was quickly answered.

"Hinata Sama", At this moment, the shinobi of the Hyuuga clan who was responsible for protecting Hinata finally appeared, "Are you alright", He looked at the boy and couldn't help frowning, "It's that boy. Come on Hinata sama"

Hinata lowered his head and whispered: "N-No wait. H-He helped"

"Hinata Sama. You must not get involved with a monster. Come on, Let's go", He took her hand and turn around.

Ghost sighed as he resume his flute play while Naruto grumbled about something, and left.