Kotetsu felt awesome. Well, he felt emotionally awesome. Physically, he felt like a punching bag. That happens when you end up constantly fighting a rather large group of bored shinobi kids for days on end. So, Kotetsu found himself pleasantly surprised when he awoke to no challengers immediately seeking his attention. The sky above was laden with dark grey clouds, a storm having slowly rolled overhead. He had heard the general situation, that Atsuo had somehow forbidden the other kids from leaving their duties to come and challenge him. That didn’t stop those same kids from completing their tasks with a renewed vigor, just to race out into the forest for the chance to beat- or get beaten by his own self. However, that only partially contributed to his happy situation this morning. Kotetsu had been victorious. Not in beating Atsuo, but in being just as good at something as Atsuo. That something was performing Fire release techniques, apparently.

  Not knowing what else to do with all of his sudden free time, Kotetsu pondered the previous night, mindlessly practicing the hand signs he had learned. Atsuo stayed with him through the night until the moon began to peek over the trees. Atsuo would show him a new Fire release Jutsu, and Kotetsu would successfully cast the technique on the first or second try. Kotetsu soaked up all of the knowledge that he could, even learning a pile of new hand signs that he hadn’t known about before. Not like anyone had actually explained them to him. All those times that Solomon had told him to just ‘ask Dad’, or ‘ask Emilia’, he realised that they would have never been able to actually tell him. He suspected that Solomon hadn’t really understood hand signs either, and was really just sidestepping an awkward conversation. He smiled to himself at the memories of him and Solomon training.

  The smile froze on his face as his mind caught up with the memory. He stared down at a point on the ground in front of his feet, trying to calm his breath. It had been seven days now since he had left the Hyuuga clan. He could hardly believe that in the span of a week, so much had happened. He also could hardly believe that he had managed to not think about his family almost the entire time. For a few long moments, he dwelled on his experiences since leaving. While thoughts of his home occupied his head, the meager concentration he held for the hand signs he was performing faded. A smell of something burning brought his attention down to look at his flame-engulfed hands. The realisation of what had occurred struck him mere seconds later. Panicking, he suddenly pushed both hands out in an attempt to extinguish the flames, only for a large burst of fire to explode from both palms, exerting force and sliding him backward across the ground several feet.

  After regaining his composure, Kotetsu looked idiotically down at his hands, amazed by their lack of burns. Something began to churn in the back of his head as his gaze was locked downward for several moments. His mind clicked, and a broad grin split his face. Atsuo would not like what he had in store tonight. Assuming the storm didn’t spoil his plans too harshly.

  —

  The previous night.

  Atsuo had sat to listen as Tan recited the mission events. Afterward, Tan had grilled him on the one subject Atsuo very much hoped to avoid.

  “I have heard the rumors from the other children.”

  Tan proceeded to stare Atsuo down, seeing if his leader’s foolish child would confess on his own. He sighed as the boy stared back with a stone-faced look.

  “You know the rules of outsiders, Atsuo. What would you have done if your father discovered this first? Even worse, you allow the other children to partake in this… This rebellious behaviour. Sage’s wrath, boy…”

  Atsuo felt the need to defend himself. “I determined he was of no harm to the clan. I have fought with him several times myself and-”

  “You… What? You fought with the boy? Did you hit your head, Atsuo? I have heard enough to determine that the boy claims to be from the Hyuuga clan. Atsuo, it was the Hyuuga that came to destroy your father and his people. That boy could be a spy, sent in an attempt to discover the layout of our defenses!”

  Tan had spoken with an increasingly rough voice, his temper flaring. Atsuo had not seen Tan lose his temper like this before.

  “You have demonstrated you are incapable of handling this level of responsibility. Tomorrow, I will personally take care of this problem.”

  Atsuo immediately responded. His eyes locked on to Tan’s, unwavering.

  “No. I have brought this upon myself. My father has not returned, and you were not ordered to relieve me of my command. That means I am still in charge of the clan right now. I will deal with Kotetsu tomorrow.”

  Tan carefully studied Atsuo at his declaration. After a few long moments, he bowed his head. Atsuo felt tension seep out of his back. Atsuo released his gaze, stood up and moved out of the tent. Tan made one final remark as Atsuo pushed at the tent flaps.

  “Be sure to handle the outsider with swiftness.”

  Atsuo made a curt nod as he exited into the gloomy winter night.

  —

  Kotetsu had spent most of his morning and all of the afternoon preparing for that evening. He practiced his Ninjutsu, attempting to put the idea he had into some form of practical use. The results were intermittent and not reliable. So instead, Kotetsu decided to focus on the other half of his plan for the fight. He worked tirelessly to carry supplies ransacked from his bag up into the trees above. His mood remained energised by the thought of how surprised Atsuo would be at his efforts. His labours continued for several long hours before he was finally content with his work, ending by swiftly crashing into his sleeping cot for a short nap.

  Kotetsu awoke to the sound of soft foot falls approaching his position. He had been trained to listen for the sound, as it usually preceded some kid trying to land a sneak attack. Kotetsu flung his sleeping bag aside and shot to his feet to find Atsuo approaching him. It was somewhat difficult to tell, but Kotetsu saw that the evening had yet to come. He realised that it had only been an hour or two since he passed out. Atsuo had not arrived at his normal time.

  “Hey, you’re early. What’s the deal? Are you anxious to beat me up today before it rains, or are you just eager to see what I’ve got waiting for you?” Kotetsu asked with a cheeky grin.

  Kotetsu lost his smile when he saw Atsuo’s expression. His attention was drawn to the newest feature of Atsuo’s face. His eyes were no longer a cool black in color. The irises were a deep, vibrant red. He stared into those red eyes for several seconds, trying to figure out the situation. Atsuo continued forward until he was just out of arm’s reach. Circling the pupils was a thin black ring. Attached to the ring were two dots spaced evenly apart. The dots appeared to have tails, making Kotetsu think of tadpoles swimming in a pond of blood. Kotetsu was completely transfixed by the eyes when Atsuo spoke softly.

  “It is time to leave.”

  Kotetsu felt… Different. Atsuo had vanished, and he was now… Well, he didn’t quite know what he was doing. Shapes swam past his vision, moving toward him, around and over his head. The shapes were… Trees, yes. Then, a sense of movement. He was moving somehow. But, where?... A familiar object filled his vision. His backpack. His thoughts were muddy, unfocused and slow. Something told him he needed to gather his stuff. Slowly, Kotetsu began to pack everything he could see back into his bag. Just before slinging the pack over his shoulder and walking off, he reached down and grasped his… His sword. The sword that his father left to him. The sword that marked the end of one life, and the beginning of another. He grasped the handle unconsciously, and began to pull. Kotetsu felt a soft pressure pop just behind his eyes.

  Atsuo truly did not wish to harm Kotetsu. In order to accomplish this, he knew that his only option was to persuade Kotetsu to leave, and hopefully… Forget. This meant using the highest skill of his Sharingan. By locking eyes with someone, he could implant instructions, falsify emotions, and skew senses. This was Genjutsu. Atsuo had forced Kotetsu over to his bag and its scattered contents, ordering Kotetsu to fit all of his belongings within. However, when the boy reached for his sword, he ceased all motion. Kotetsu gradually began to unsheathe the sword. Atsuo felt a vague feeling pass over him, too quick to properly identify- as Kotetsu dropped his half-sheathed blade, stood, and turned to look at him with piercing green eyes. A gust of late winter wind wrapped around the two as they stood silently watching one another.

  Atsuo had not actually tried to use Genjutsu in this manner before. The way he usually employed Genjutsu was more subtle, and this attempt at brute-forcing someone into capitulating to his desires proved infeasible. It was always a long shot. Now, he would have to do this the hard way. He gathered his resolve. Kotetsu spoke.

  “When I first fought you, I wanted to know something.”

  Atsuo listened as Kotetsu turned down at the assembled backpack by his feet.

  “Originally, I thought that I wanted to learn how to fight like you.”

  With his Sharingan active, Atsuo watched Kotetsu’s Chakra begin to circulate faster and faster. The speed was particularly fast for someone his age. As Atsuo considered this, he realised he had never actually seen Kotetsu’s Chakra flowing before. He felt new respect for the control Kotetsu had managed to achieve. Sadly, it would not be enough.

  “I understand now, what I wanted… I wanted to know how to fight you.”

  Atsuo moved right as Kotetsu finished his sentence. Reaching one arm out, he planned to take Kotetsu out in a single move. In all of their fights, Atsuo had not actually gone to the extent of knocking Kotetsu out. This was what he wished to achieve now. Kotetsu slid to one side, away from Atsuo’s outstretched arm, keeping roughly in pace with Atsuo’s own burst of speed. Atsuo perceived this speed and moved to adjust.

  Kotetsu felt surprise, then indignation as his hasty attempt at dodging was caught out. The arm he slid by curled outward, catching Kotetsu on his head with a snap after a short arc. Kotetsu saw stars as he was struck away by the powerful backhand. Gathering his senses, his vision returned to find- nothing. Then, from below, a blur resulted in a sharp blow right to his gut. Kotetsu almost lost his breakfast right there. His determination to not lose the food he worked so hard to earn held the contents down.

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  Atsuo came at Kotetsu with a relentless assault, looking to keep the boy from thinking of any plan other than defend and escape. His rush of attacks came down heavy and fast on Kotetsu one after another. Gut, back, chin, chest, any place that was exposed received a sting. Kotetsu’s reactions were outpaced by the Sharingan. To Atsuo’s eyes, all that existed right now was his opponent and himself. Kotetsu backed up several steps after a precise kick to the chest. Atsuo rushed forward, throwing a long swing that he poured all of his strength into. Something felt off about the strike, but before he could pull his arm back or reduce the power, his arm slammed heavily into the trunk of a thick tree, Kotetsu’s form sliding just behind the base and out of sight. Pain screamed up his arm and escaped out of his mouth, making Atsuo wonder if he had broken something. The tree had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He was blinded by the attack he carried out, resulting in a failure to account for other objects.

  After a few moments, Atsuo confirmed that his arm was not broken. The pain he felt would transform into a large bruise, but no serious damage would be left. He moved around the tree trunk, intent on continuing his beat down, to find Kotetsu nowhere in sight. Looking left, then right, back, forward… Up. There, he found Kotetsu, standing along a tree branch and staring down. Atsuo observed the welts growing on Kotetsu’s face. His pain was evident through the awkward movements he made. Atsuo moved, jumping to stand along the outermost part of the thick branch. He uncradled his throbbing arm and prepared to attack again.

  Dashing forward, Atsuo sent another straight punch right for Kotetsu’s head. With no sideways movements to make, Kotetsu would be forced to either attempt a jump or slide backward. Atsuo observed as Kotetsu began to move back toward the tree, right as he predicted. Kotetsu ducked slightly and weaved his head- revealing a small sharp stick jutting right at head-height out of the tree. Positioned right where Atsuo’s fist would hit. Atsuo panicked this time, barely averting his in-progress punch causing the stick to painfully scrape along his forearm, barely avoiding being punctured. Kotetsu grabbed the tree with one hand and awkwardly clung to its side, climbing up and away from Atsuo. Atsuo kept his eyes locked on the path Kotetsu made, now forcing himself to try and account for other potential dangers. From above, rain began to fall. He jumped again.

  Atsuo met Kotetsu on every branch the boy could escape to. In a direct confrontation, Atsuo won out with the help of his Sharingan. But eventually, Kotetsu made use of some part of the environment to hinder Atsuo’s progress. Just as Atsuo thought he had considered every possible branch, loose bark, pine cone, and broken piece of wood, Kotetsu revealed an ace in the hole. Atsuo advanced forward with full confidence that Kotetsu had run out of tricks. Then, Kotetsu reached behind a branch, and pulled on a loosely tied rope that had been hidden by a thicket of pine needles. The rope flew upward, bringing Atsuo’s attention pointing up to find a bundle of long branches rushing down to collide with his unexpecting head. The bundle slammed into his upturned face, almost causing Atsuo to lose his footing. A fall of over 60 feet would not be good for his health.

  Atsuo recovered physically. Mentally, he was shaken. Kotetsu’s face had not changed from its look of hard determination the entire fight, which had gone on for over 10 minutes now. The sky had opened up completely, drenching the two in the torrent of rain. Atsuo continued to chase Kotetsu, and Kotetsu continued to fight in the unorthodox style that Atsuo had come to expect. On some level, Atsuo understood that this style was somewhat rooted in the methods of the Hyuuga clan. Kotetsu did not have a Byakugan. He could not view the entire battlefield at once. Yet, Kotetsu was clearly fighting with full awareness of his surroundings. Atsuo had never fought a member of the Hyuuga clan by himself, instead having only received instruction from those that had encountered the clan. That training had not adequately prepared him for this fight.

  After taking a few steps back to dodge a branch Kotetsu had pulled back and released, Atsuo was surprised to find Kotetsu moving into his personal space. Kotetsu threw out a palm strike aimed right for Atsuo’s head, forcing Atsuo to move up and away. Atsuo felt a sharp crack nearly split his skull as the top of his head came in direct contact with a low-hanging branch. His vision momentarily went dark as pain rattled his brain while his hands moved to cradle his head. He anticipated Kotetsu’s fist striking his face in short order. Several seconds went by with nothing happening, leaving Atsuo immensely confused as all he could do was wait for his vision to return. His sight swam back into focus, leaving Atsuo staring at the end of Kotetsu’s outstretched palm.

  The arm pulled back and Kotetsu regained his fighting form. Atsuo stood confused for several more seconds. The cold wet rain was replaced as something hot rushed down his forehead and covered one eye, draping his vision with red. Kotetsu’s form swayed back and forth, and Atsuo couldn’t tell if that was because his opponent was tired or if Atsuo’s eyes refused to stay put. Atsuo put his hands up and resumed his fighting stance. Kotetsu blurred forward.

  Atsuo felt a piercing pain in his abdomen as Kotetsu’s palm dug its way into his stomach. Right there, he almost passed out. The force of the blow was not enough to cause Atsuo to lose his meal, but the jolt of pressure felt almost as if a rock had just crushed his gut. His breath grew shallow. Atsuo attempted to counter, but found Kotetsu stepping away and out of his reach. Kotetsu’s battered and bruised body stood solid, one eye having swollen shut after the initial slap Atsuo had given him. Atsuo suddenly realised his Sharingan had been shut off, and he focused hard on reactivating the technique, Chakra coursing through his eyes to rekindle what had been blown out. The Sharingan returned to his good eye with a light popping sensation reverberating through his head. He had begun to overuse the power. Having gathered his senses, he moved with renewed determination.

  Kotetsu had spent the entire fight surviving on the edge. Atsuo felt like an unstoppable force, every move bringing the fight closer to an end. This was what their fights had lacked. The missing key. Kotetsu was simultaneously ecstatic and filled with dread at this revelation, since he finally had the answer to his question after almost a full week. It was simply bad luck that it came in the form of his toughest battle. Atsuo was serious about kicking Kotetsu out this time. Kotetsu was determined to show Atsuo the fruits of his labor no matter what.

  Atsuo continued his onslaught against Kotetsu, insisting on not letting Kotetsu escape and use the environment to his advantage again. Any attempt Kotetsu could make at escape would be met with a brutal punishment. Kotetsu jumped away from the branch he and Atsuo stood on after a particularly hefty beat down, falling through the air with no hope of grabbing a nearby branch. Atsuo felt a spike of fear shoot through his heart. The fear quickly turned to dumbstruck awe.

  While falling in midair, Kotetsu strung together a rather long series of hand signs before pushing both hands to point down at the ground. With that motion, a bubble of fire blasted forth and grew to almost twice the size of his body. This temporarily lessened his downward momentum and allowed him to extend an arm, barely catching the edge of a thin wet branch. The fire continued its downward path for a few seconds before dispersing to leave ripples of heat flowing upward through the rain. Atsuo felt the heat from almost 20 feet above as he watched Kotetsu cling to the branch, his chest heaving to catch his breath. He felt anger well up when Kotetsu turned to look right up at him with a toothy grin, his eyes saying ‘How about that?’. Atsuo could see Kotetsu’s Chakra waning, and knew that the fight would come to an end one way or another. He leapt off the branch, aiming his feet right for Kotetsu’s stupid face.

  Kotetsu continued to grin like a madman as Atsuo descended on him alongside the heavy rain. Kotetsu casually reached beneath himself and appeared to grasp something with both hands. Then, he stood- his body flexing horizontally, feet planted to one side of the branch, a rope tied to both ends of the branch pulled taut causing the entire skinny branch to curve down and away from Atsuo. With the Sharingan, Atsuo watched in abject horror as Kotetsu let the rope go, falling away from the branch which was now in an vicious upward swing right into Atsuo’s path. Reaching out, Atsuo attempted to brace himself against anything, but found no perch to redirect his path. The branch swung up as Atsuo fell down. The two met with a thump echoing through the forest.

  The branch had almost finished its upward arc, giving Atsuo barely enough time to get one foot between his chest and the branch, letting him push away from the trap. Away from the tree. In that single moment of stillness, droplets of water falling atop his head, Atsuo had time to wonder how much falling over 50 feet would hurt. The wet air slathered his face, diluting the blood that covered it. 40, 30, then 20 feet. The forest floor rushed up to meet him. Then, out of nowhere, something hit him from above and to the side. Kotetsu had a firm grip on Atsuo’s leg as the two swung from the sideways force, Kotetsu nearly missing the large tree he aimed for. Kotetsu held Atsuo’s body with a death grip as his feet barely clung, sliding down the tree, the dregs of his Chakra getting used up in an attempt to lessen their downward velocity. The two collapsed into mud at the base of the tree from the drastic action.

  The pair lay there, utterly drenched, breathing heavily for what felt like an eternity. Water continued to pour onto and around the two. Atsuo felt as if his entire body had just gone through the rapids of a river, getting tossed and beaten by the hidden rocks. He imagined Kotetsu felt worse. Slowly, he got to his feet. Looking down at Kotetsu, who was staring back with a defiant glare, Atsuo spoke.

  “...Why… Did you save me?”

  Kotetsu’s single eye widened slightly in surprise. He licked his lips and coughed.

  “You… Don’t know?”

  Atsuo gave a blank stare.

  “We were… Sparring. Also, you hurt yourself too much. I don’t…”

  Kotetsu sputtered and coughed some more.

  “I don’t want to hurt people just to find out how strong I am.”

  A strange smile appeared on Kotetsu’s face. Atsuo was first confused, then worried as Kotetsu’s one eye shut, having succumbed to his exhaustion and falling into a deep sleep.

  —

  Tan had been waiting for Atsuo to return with news of his success. The boy had left just over half an hour ago now, and Tan grew tired of this game. He got up and prepared to move out himself.

  “Father, you should really stay and continue resting…”

  Tan pushed his son to the side as he walked out into the cold winter rain.

  “I will not tolerate Atsuo staining his and his father’s reputation as leaders. I will deal with this myself.”

  —

  It had only taken Tan minutes to find the location using the directions given to him by the other children. He found Atsuo standing over the still form of a boy with white hair, who was half propped up against a tree. The rain had thoroughly soaked both of them. Tan landed over a dozen feet away from the scene. After a few moments, Tan confirmed that the boy was still breathing. He inspected the pair more closely. Atsuo was covered in bruises and cuts, with blood having soaked his hair and face at one point. The boy- who Dan had said was named Kotetsu, appeared to be covered in even more bruises. Tan’s gaze lifted as he felt Atsuo staring at him.

  Atsuo had turned his head to regard his father’s right hand man. The fight had ended mere minutes ago with Kotetsu passing out from exhaustion. That sight had broken something within Atsuo, letting him come to a new decision. Now, staring Tan down with cold anger, that decision manifested.

  Tan stared into Atsuo’s single challenging eye, shocked at what he found. The boy’s Sharingan was activated, though this was not what surprised him. The shock arose from the presence of a third dot, the third Tomoe spaced evenly along the ring that circled Atsuo’s pupil. This marked the full development of an Uchiha’s Sharingan. Had Atsuo reached this stage while fighting that… Opponent? Tan could hardly believe the circumstances, but before he could open his mouth to question the boy, Atsuo spoke first.

  “I will not allow you to harm him.”

  It was a statement. Tan considered the sight in front of him. The two stood, eye versus eyes locked in place for almost a full minute. Tan finally spoke in an even tone.

  “Did he fight well?”

  After a few seconds, Atsuo simply nodded.

  “Good. He served to push you to new boundaries.”

  Atsuo glared while he spoke.

  “I will be taking him back to be healed. That is my order, as I am still the clan leader right now.”

  The two Uchiha stood silently amidst the torrential downpour. Tan could see the young Uchiha’s resolve written across his face.

  “Very well. I'm not carrying him though.”

  With his answer given, Tan spun and walked away.