The Will of Fire

There he stood, Akihiro Uchiha, in front of the oldest structure in the entire village. Konohagakure's oldest grave, and the very first one to guard the body of an inheritor of the Will of Fire. It was beautiful, an obsidian monument in the shape of a kunai, its tip half buried on the ground. The monument was large, towering well over the short 12 year old Genin.  Despite its dark color, it still reflected the sunlight as it is proper of obsidian as if the man's death had shinned a new hope upon the village. Akihiro could even see his reflection on the kunai. Engraved on the memorial, was also the Symbol of the Uchiha Clan, the red and white fan, engraved in colors which contrasted with the black obsidian, making it stand out. Below the symbol, a single name was carved.


There was nothing else. No flowers, no explanation, no beautiful text celebrating the man's life. The tombstone was beautiful but quiet. Perhaps that was the best way to celebrate the life and death of a shinobi. The man's name was unknown to Akihiro. Maybe he hadn't paid enough attention in class, or maybe there hadn't been a mention of the man's name. Uchiha Kazutoshi was a stranger to him, and yet...something drew Akihiro towards this grave. For a very long time now. At first he thought it was just the fact that it was so beautiful, but then he realized there had to be something else. Akihiro found himself visiting the cemetery many times during his years at the academy, more often than not to see this grave. It held deep meaning, and made him question what it meant to be a shinobi. More than that, what it meant to be an Uchiha.

When his time came, would he have such a beautiful grave? Or would he die among the battlefield chaos and have his only grave be dirt and the stomach of crows?


A raven was heard in the distance. It sent a chill down the young Genin's spine, but he didn't take his eyes off the monument. He had visited so many times, but had never dared touch it. He'd never felt worthy of it. Now, it was his first time visiting it after graduating from the Ninja Academy, he was no longer a student but a full-fledged ninja. And yet... what did that mean? He knew the arts: Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu. He knew the principles of battles, the norms, what he was supposed to do in most situations. And yet... looking at this grave he felt as lost as the first day he enrolled at the Academy. Akihiro reached for the monument, for the very first time. And he touched it, with his right hand. Lightly, as if afraid it would crumble at the lightest of touches. His index and middle fingers slowly ran across the Uchiha Symbol, and then across the ninja's name.

Nothing happened. It was just...stone. He had been expecting to find an answer here, to understand the deeper meaning of being a shinobi. The deeper meaning of being an Uchiha, but there was nothing. Just...more silence and the slight breeze that rustled the leaves around. Akihiro was a bit disappointed but more than that, he was a bit sad. "Could it be...because my eyes cannot see the answer? Why does it ever escape my vision?"

More silence. His Sharingan was dormant if present at all. Could that be the reason why he didn't understand? It was said the Sharingan was the eye that could see beyond. It could remember the past, see the present and predict the future. It gave its wielder many answers, most of which weren't accessible to the common mortal.

"Did you know the answer, stranger?" he whispered, closing his eyes. "Would you have told me, what it means to be an Uchiha Shinobi, Uchiha Kazutoshi?" he whispered again. More silence followed. The Sparrow took a deep breath, and stood there, eyes closed and his palm touching the Uchiha Symbol. Perhaps the answer wouldn't come today, but here he found peace of mind, even if temporary.

"He would have told you what it means to be more than an Uchiha or a Shinobi." A stern, deep voice sounded from some distance behind Akihiro. "He would have showed you how to be a hero."

The man, wearing all black in a short sleeve shirt and pants, stepped beside Akihiro, staring with nearly palpable intensity at the engraving. A sharp wind cut through the newcomer's unkempt and spiky black hair just as soon as he'd reached the grave, an occurrence attributed to the deep meaning this place held to him, or perhaps Kazutoshi himself, there with them in spirit. How he wished it was the latter, anything to feel closer to his younger brother, to see him just one more time.

A short reverential silence fell over them before the elder Uchiha spoke again. "He could have shown you a side of the world that only he ever knew. A bright, beautiful place, future and past, where all anyone else could see was blood and death. Even among the Uchiha, his eyes were truly blessed."

Akihiro opened his eyes. For a moment, it almost seemed like the tombstone had replied, talked back to him. But there was something not right about the voice. It didn0't sound proper, it didn't sound anything like the voice Akihiro was expecting to hear- he didn't know the deceased Uchiha's voice, but deep down he knew it was not this. Only then he realized the voice speaking to him was actually coming from behind. Without lifting his hand from the monument, the Sparrow glanced back at the figure who had approached so silently he didn't even notice his presence. Or perhaps the Hokage had made all sorts of sounds and noises and Akihiro had been too focused on the monument to notice them...the Genin couldn't tell. But the Hokage was here now, and approached the monument until he stood right next to Akihiro.

The boy listened to his words carefully, contemplating the name and the Uchiha symbol engraved on obsidian. "A hero...?" The Sparrow muttered. He had never wanted to be a hero. People knew heroes. When heroes arrived at a place, they were welcomed with open arms and ceremonies, parties and happiness. A shinobi wasn't supposed to do that, he thought. A shinobi had to move in the shadows, go unnoticed, and do his job which many times differed from a hero's job. This raised conflict in Akihiro's mind. How could one be a hero *and* a shinobi at the same time? How could one save lives with one hand and take them with the other? Shinobi were tools, pawns for warfare. It had been so for a very long time and even nowadays.

The Sparrow didn't have a whole lot of time to think about this, however, as the Hokage went on speaking. His words made Kazutoshi look like an incredibly interesting person. To be gifted with blessed eyes even among the Uchiha was an incredible feat and Akihiro could only imagine what this man could have seen during his lifetime. "He must have inherited quite the Sharingan..." Akihiro naively replied. He was too young, too inexperienced to know the meaning of true vision. "Did you know him?" He asked directly. Akihiro wasn't even sure the Hokage knew his name, after all, he was just a Genin. But he didn't take the opportunity to introduce himself. Instead, he wanted to know more about this man whose tombstone and life seemed so fascinating. "Do you know...how he died? Oh, can you... see what he saw, with your eyes?All of those answers... the meaning of being a shinobi, an Uchiha... I want to know. I want to see it, but I can't."

Listening to Akihiro's questions, the same ones he himself had asked many years ago, reminded the older Uchiha of his own journey and the answers he found. Though they walked side by side down the same road, Kazutoshi had somehow managed to find a much deeper meaning in things than his brother. He saw the good in everything -and everyone, but like a true warrior, he set his emotions and personal feelings aside for the sake of the clan -for his family.

There were many things they had both been forced to do in those warring times that neither had particularly wanted to, but it seemed as though Kazutoshi was the only one that remained unchanged. Maybe there really was something his Sharingan could see that none other could; he was the greatest prodigy among the Uchiha in at least three generations, after all.

"He was my brother," the man finally responded. "I was there when he fell. He saved so many of us. The world would be much different place without him."

Back on that bloody day, when the Uchiha were on the brink of striking a decisive winning blow against the Hyuga that would see their dominance in the Land of Fire, things had gone horribly awry. Fought though he might, he was unable to win, and had it not been for Kazutoshi, they surely would have lost. The war would have pushed back to their homes and the Uchiha might well not be around today.

"The answers you seek must be found on your own. We all have different meanings for being who we are. If you feel drawn to this place, to him, then maybe you'll be the one to see what he saw. If only I had, we could have found peace much sooner, but I...I wanted to win. I wanted to crush them..." Regret was evident in his tone, though not because he was the warring leader. He only ever regretted that time because of what it led to. Those Hyuga were the ones responsible for the death of his father and when he saw Kazutoshi, he...he wanted to hurt them. Had it not been for Kazuya, he surely would have done something irreconcilable.

"If you're really lucky, kid, you'll never know the pain that these eyes bring." Kazuo's onyx sight had turned to red, spinning in his irises until the black dots faded and became like a darkened star on a sea of blood. The Jounin blinked and his eyes returned to normal as he came back to his senses.

Akihiro listened to the Hokage's first words. There was no explanation of how the man died, when or why it happened. But Kazuya said something much more important, that this man had been his brother. So this was the Hokage's brother's grave. Certainly, the world would have been different without him, but didn't that apply to every strong shinobi in the world? These men and women ruled lands and forced their ideals onto the weakest clans. The world was a different place without Kazutoshi but it would certainly be a different place without Kazuya as well. Still, this was a fitting grave for one who saved so many Uchiha.

The Hokage kept speaking, and Akihiro kept listening. The man's tone gradually changed tho, as if he was remembering painful memories. They must have definitely been painful, if he'd been there for his brother's death. Akihiro couldn't quite comprehend the whole subject, but unknowingly he was beginning to grasp the answers he sought. Or at least better questions. "But isn't winning a good thing?" how could he blame the Hokage for wanting to win? Everyday of his life he was told winning was important. Win at the academy, don't let the clan down, win on missions, be successful, bring down your enemies. Winning couldn't be bad, or so Akihiro thought.

"I see nothing. My eyes refuse to allow me that sort of vision." Removing his hand from the grave, Akihiro glanced at the Hokage. That's when he saw them. A pair of Sharingan never before seen. Akihiro knew the stages of the eye, or so he thought. One, two, three tomoes. And yet he'd never seen anything quite like this. They were...terrifying. For a moment Akihiro did feel threatened, as the Hokage seemed like stuff brought out of nightmares. But it only lasted a moment, as the man's eyes returned back to normal and their usual onyx colored returned.

"What are those?!" he found himself blabbering before he could think of his question.

"A curse." Kazuo muttered under his breath just as his elder brother walked up.

"I see we have a visitor," said Kazuya, looking down at the young Uchiha. Unlike his brother, Kazuya was wearing the Hokage robes and bore longer hair, though otherwise, they looked much the same.

"I'm Kazuya and this is my brother, Kazuo," the Hokage said, knowing that his brother rarely ever gave his name to anyone.

He waited for a response before approaching the grave. Every time he came here, a solemn reverence fell over him that made him much less talkative. It was best to wait until after everything was said for him to look upon Kazutoshi's sacred resting place.

Akihiro was visibly confused at Kazuo's reply. But he became even more confused when he saw someone approaching with Hokage robes. Looking at both men, they were nearly identical. From a distance, the only thing that would differentiate the two was their hairstyle and the long traditional hokage robes worn by Kazuya.

After the Hokage introduced himself, Akihiro understood what had happened. He had unknowingly mistaken the Hokage's brother for the Hokage himself. Luckily he hadn't addressed the man as people usually addressed the Hokage or else things would have gotten really embarassing. There was a moment of silence while he pondered all of this, which was interrupted when he realized he hadn't even told them his name. "A pleasure to mee you both. My name is Uchiha Akihiro, my friends call me Sparrow." He noted. There wasn't really anything worth of noting in Sparrow except maybe for this nickname. He couldn't quite remember ow he'd gotten it, but his friends called him that ever since he could remember. Perhaps it was due to his small size, but he couldn't be sure.

"I..erm...am sorry for intruding." He stated, looking at the monument one more time. "I was... just curious. There is something about this place, but I can't tell what."

"No, it's alright," said Kazuya as he approached the grave. His fingers brushed lightly over the engraving and his expression become more solemn. He started to reflect on the times he shared with Kazutoshi, though he had much fewer than Kazuo. That was one of his greatest regrets. All of the things he'd learned and who he'd become in his journeys, he'd trade everything to spend more time with his family.

A distinct quiet fell over the place as the two brothers reflected on the past, as they did often at this place. Once a few minutes had passed, they looked to each other, have a brief touch if the shoulder, and went on about their business. Kazuo had some clan matters to attend to in Kazuya's stead -things to wrap up from the Hokage's absence. Kazuya, on the other hand, turned to the boy.

"What's your story, little Sparrow?"

Akihiro merely stood there while the two brother reflected on the past. It wasn't like he had any memories with Kazutoshi Uchiha, the only memories Akihiro had were shared with the man0s grave which...now that he thought about it, was kind of creepy. Alas, he stood there respectfully while the two brothers had their moment.

Then, almost at the same time, the two of them "woke up" from their reflection time and shrugged. Akihiro wondered if he was supposed to have taken the hint to go away during that time, but it seemed rude when he first considered it. The Hokage's brother started walking away while the Hokage himself turned to Sparrow, suddenly asking a question for which he didn't have any special answer.

"Well...there isn't much of a story, to be honest." he admitted, kind of embarrassed for not having anything interesting to say. "My folks fought alongside you while the wars lasted and then settled down here at the village. They met during battle which I guess is kind of romantic." It was Akihiro's turn to shrug. He knew very little about girls and romance and frankly, he wasn't all that interested at his age. "I enrolled at the academy at the age of 10, a little late I suppose. But my parents figured I had no talent for being a shinobi..." He made a pause. Those were some harsh times. "Until I stopped trying to learn Katon from dad, found my true element and instead learned basic Fuuton and Genjutsu from mom. Graduated a couple of days ago!" he raised his right thumb while he closed his fist. It was quite the victory! His parents had assumed his natural element was Katon like most of Uchihas, but truthfully Akihiro was a bit different from the majority of his clan. Looking back he thought it was a bit dumb that they hadn't figured it out earlier, but at the time he was around seven years old and lacked the courage to question his parents.

"Right now I'm looking for a teacher to help me tap into my clan's power." he made a pause, wondering if that was really true. "Well, to be honest, I'm looking for a teacher to help me improve in general." This was more likely. After all, he couldn't depend on a power he didn't know whether he had or not. "I'll become a great ninja and surpass you even if I haven't inherited those eyes. You'll see." he said, in a surprisingly casual tone.

"That's an excellent goal for any shinobi to have. I can train you, but most of your latent potential will be unlocked through challenging missions. Unfortunately, as the Hokage, I won't be able to accompany you in those, so the best teacher will always be one of my Jounin." Kazuya's eyes drifted off to the sky. His thoughts traced the different locations and positions of his available Jounin. As far as he could recall, there were only two, and they had yet to return from an emissary mission in Kirigakure. He looked back down at Akihiro.

"I don't have any available at the moment," he started, rubbing his chin, "so I'll begin your training and have one of them pick up from there once they return." The Hokage looked around their location, one he discerned was certainly inappropriate for training. "Meet me in the...second training grounds, "he said with a pause, trying to recall what grounds were currently in use. There were so many things to keep track of in the village that even he had a hard time with it. "We'll work on the skills of your choice there." Kazuya finished, awaiting any further conversation before making his way to some other stopping point before rendezvousing with Akihiro.

[Exit(?)]

Akihiro was a bit surprised at the Hokage's invitation for training. Certainly he had been expecting to be assigned a Jonin teacher eventually, but he had not really been counting...well, none being available. Even more surprising than that was the fact that the Hokage stepped up to take responsibility for this fact and offered to train him until one of his two available Jonin commanders became...well, available.

Akihiro wasn't sure about what specifically the Hokage could teach him, mostly because he simply didn't know the Kage's fighting style. But if the man had gotten the title, that had to mean he was good at something. Akihiro could only hope that something would match his own talents. Still, being trained by the Hokage himself was a great honor and, in Akihiro's opinion, an even greater opportunity. And not one he would let go to waste.

Nodding, Akihiro replied before swiftly leaving for preparations. "Aye, I'll meet you there in an hour." He gave one last look to the beautiful obsidian memorial stone, and then left.

[Exit]