章 36: Chapter 36: Itachi and Hinoka

I was about six and sparring with Sasuke after I managed to get away from Hinata.

I threw a kunai at him, which he dodged. Before I could do anything else, he charged towards me and tried to punch me.

I blocked the punch before kicking him, sending him back a few inches. Just as I did, I noticed a cut on my cheek. A kunai landed behind me, and I smiled, starting to get excited as Sasuke smiled back.

We both charged at each other, each with a kunai in hand.

In the end, we tied and ended up competing in different ways, like strength contests, races, board games, cooking, eating… and before I knew it, we both fell asleep.

I was half asleep when I noticed someone carrying me. I blinked and murmured, "Big bro?"

The person turned towards me with a smile, and as my vision cleared, I saw Itachi.

"Oh, hey Itachi, I fell asleep, didn't I?" I asked, now fully awake.

Itachi put me down and said, "Yes, you did. You and Sasuke were competing again, weren't you?"

I chuckled nervously. "Yeah, we were. How was your mission?"

"I completed it without any problems."

I looked up at the sky as I walked beside Itachi. "You know, one day I'm going to be as strong as you, no, even stronger. I'll complete more missions than anyone. I'll become a Jonin, then a Hokage-level ninja. Just you wait."

Itachi had a small smile before asking, "Hinoka, can you do me a favor?"

I paused before facing him. "What is it?"

"No matter what, can you always be on Sasuke's side? Be there when he needs a shoulder to lean on? Even… even if he loses everyone?"

I ran up and stopped in front of him, smiling as I exclaimed, "I already planned on it! I mean, I am his friend and rival! I won't ever abandon Sasuke. I'll always be on his side, whether he knows it or not, and that's a promise!"

Itachi smiled back and said, "Thank you…"

---PRESENT---

I turned to Itachi, who was sitting in a tree, as I said, "I haven't seen you since the incident when you massacred your entire clan, except for your little brother. By the way, do you know where he is?"

Itachi paused before saying, "Has it really been that long? Do you want revenge?"

"Revenge, huh," I placed my hand on my chin and continued, "I did know some of the elders in the Uchiha clan; they were nice and made some of the best desserts. So, I guess I should want revenge but…"

"You haven't changed, have you?"

"You think so? I mean, my hair colour's changed, and I'm pretty sure I've grown taller and stronger... I've been wanting to ask you a question since I found out what you did." I tilted my head to the side, my smile disappearing. "Why did you do it?"

Itachi paused, then grinned. "To test my abilities, what other reason is there?"

I froze, expecting him to laugh and say it was a joke. I hesitated before asking, "What do you mean, to test your ability?"

Itachi didn't respond. I asked louder, again and again, each time louder than the last, but he didn't reply.

I started getting angrier before exclaiming, "That can't be your actual reason! I don't believe it! I won't believe it! You made Sasuke, your own little brother, suffer because you wanted to test your power?!"

I appeared next to him. Just as I was about to kick him, he blocked my attack. "How could you do that when! When… you remind me so much of him!"

I continued attacking Itachi as he blocked each of my attacks. I avoided eye contact as I exclaimed, "How could you be so cruel…! When every time I look at you, all I can see is my big brother!"

Just as I was about to punch him in the face, I stopped inches away and mumbled, "Please tell me this is all a bad dream… I want things to go back to the way they were. Competing with Sasuke, pranking people and eating ramen with Naruto, hanging out with Shikamaru, Haku, Hanabi, sparring with Neji, even annoying Hinata and Sakura..."

I looked up at Itachi as a tear rolled down my face. He had a split second of shock before it disappeared. I dropped my hand and let out a slight chuckle as I grabbed a kunai and slashed Itachi. Just as he fell, he turned into a bunch of crows. I mumbled, "I let my guard down… and looked into your eyes…"

My eyes turned blue, and a pattern appeared on them as I threw a kunai at Itachi.

He caught it with two fingers. "Is that all you've got… Hinoka?"

I appeared behind him, performing hand signs. "Water Style: Water Dragon!"

A water dragon appeared and attacked Itachi. He dodged it, and it hit a tree. I appeared behind him, throwing kunai and shuriken.

Itachi landed on a tree branch before jumping, dodging the kunai and shuriken.

Just as he was in the air, I turned into a puff of smoke, revealing a shadow clone. He tilted his head backward, facing me. We made eye contact, and he froze momentarily.

I was about to kick him when he grabbed my leg and threw me. I hit multiple branches before landing.

I grabbed a kunai from my pouch as Itachi landed on a branch, blood dripping from his hand. "I underestimated you. Your eyes, they're like the Sharingan. It put me inside a genjutsu the minute we made eye contact, but the wound I got there appeared here, though not as severe. You might have beaten me if you had the intent to kill. Still, you've gotten stronger, Hinoka."

I tilted my head, dodging a kunai Itachi threw as he said, "Orochimaru's lab is where you'll find him. Hinoka, do you remember your promise?" I didn't reply.

Itachi paused before saying, "Never mind. It was long ago."

I tried to talk when I suddenly felt a tap on my head and I dropped my kunai.

I looked up at Itachi standing in front of me and saw the image of my older brother smiling.

"Wait, Itachi!" Before I could finish, he disappeared.

I was about to leave when I noticed the kunai Itachi threw. It was holding a piece of paper. I removed and opened it. Inside were the coordinates of Orochimaru's lab. I smiled under my mask as I mumbled, "I won't ever abandon Sasuke, and that's a promise… Because I'm his friend and rival. Whether he knows it's me or not." Then I took off.