The Black Leaf (Part 1)

Chapter 10: Becoming a Black Leaf

Yunki Yamanaka was the head of the black leaves, she was from the Yamanka clan and an expert with genjutsu, torture and interrogation. The Black Leaves were an elite group of assassins and spies that will gather information using any means necessary. Working along the ANBU, the Black Leaves were the secret weapon of the Leaf. Every two years only one Black Leaf returns home and joins the top AMBU team. Unlike the AMBU, the type of training black leaves go through was more extreme. They are tortured and beaten to learn exactly how to do their job as Black Leaves. They are trained to use genjutsu and access the victims' minds to gather the information needed. The torture they endure, was a way to make them stronger, so they wouldn't break easily if they ever get capture.

The training I was going through was extreme both emotionally and physically. The first few months were hell and torture, literally. I learned what a Black Leaf was the hard way, I was beat up and tortured for more than 4 hours just for not ending my opponent.

"A Black Leaf has to endure every possible torture they are exposed to. There cannot be any weakness in you... weaknesses will not be tolerated... weakness will be the end of you." Yunki shouted as she beat me. "You want to go home Yami? You want to get out of here?" she beat me more and more, "You have to become heartless, ruthless, merciless. You have to kill or be killed."

"I never wanted to be a Black Leaf," I told her and she beat me more.

"You are already here, Yami, might as well learn everything I'm about to teach you." She said before cutting the rope that was holding me up, making me fall on the floor without warning. "Plus, you have all it takes to become the next Black Leaf, just stay alive and show no mercy."

I looked at her in anguish, I never signed up for this. I don't want to die, I thought, I just want to go home. Going through this training made me realize how weak I was, but I couldn't give up, I needed to go back to Sasuke and protect him.

Every 3 months we had a test and where we fight other opponents until one is completely defeated or dead. I didn't had finished one of my opponents because she gave up, but I had killed five already. Killing was becoming easier and for some reason, I believe people were starting to fear me. Maybe it was the Sharingan or the fact that I would try to kill my opponents without mercy. I stopped feeling guilty long time ago, I was starting to show less emotions and becoming more ruthless. I was enjoying seeing fear in my opponent's eyes before I landed the last blow that ended their lives.

Two years had passed and becoming a black leaf was not easy. I stopped writing to Sasuke six months ago, I need to learn to keep my emotion in place and focus on becoming a Black Leaf. There were 32 of us at the beginning now there are three of us. Jiro and Kaito, come from a place called the Foundation and they were competing against me for the Black Leaf spot. They trained for this since they were kids, they were both merciless and heartless. Jiro was older, he was 16, he joked a lot and didn't seemed to take things too seriously. However he was very skilled and killed with no remorse, like if it was nothing.  Kaito, on the other hand, was 15 like me, he was quiet and you couldn't never tell what he was thinking. He was also ruthless, and very skilled. 

During one of training Yunki explained to us the main rules of a Black Leaf. "There are three rules you must follow when you become a Black Leaf... Number one, you got to accomplish your mission and gather the information by using any means necessary. Number two, you cannot leave any witnesses. Number three, and the most absolute rule, you cannot get caught. But if you ever do, you have to take your own life before the enemy gets any information from you." She took a dagger from her pocket with a leaf engraved in it, "if you ever get caught and there is absolutely no way out, this is your way out," she said holding the dagger up.

There was one month left of training and our last mission was one of the many tests to come. We had to go deliver and retrieve some important information from the Land of Iron. There were going to be traps along the way to test our abilities. We left early in the morning, Yunki, Kaito, Jiro walking ahead of me, mainly in silent. Something felt different as we walked in the narrow path. I stopped abruptly, I felt some strong chakra coming out way, "Yunki-sensei?".

"Yes, I sense it too," she replied, "be alert."

"Probably a test, right sensei?" Jiro asked.

"No," Yunki said worried, "the traps are supposed to start once we enter the Land of Iron. We are still in the Land of F-" before she could finish her sentence a man with an orange mask attacked her from behind. His sword went through her back and exited right on her abdomen, and I could see distress on her eyes.

"You have some information I want," the masked man said.

Kaito and Jiro immediately ran to hide, but I stayed there paralyzed watching Yunki bleeding out. The man with the orange mask had a Sharingan... an Uchiha!

He stepped forward and grabbed my face. Shit, I thought as my Sharingan activated before I could think. "How interesting..." he said looking straight into my eyes, "an Uchiha, it seems that Itachi missed one." I froze in place, Itachi... did he just mentioned his name? How does this man know Itachi? Who is he? million of question ran thought my head.

"Give a minute, I'll be right back," he let go of my face and went after Kaito and Jiro. I heard them struggle and scream, but I couldn't move. All I did was stared down at Yunki who tried to get her dagger out of pocket but it fell on the ground. She looked at me and muttered, "do it" I knew exactly what she was asking from me. It was the third and most absolute rule. That man wanted the information that Yunki had and I couldn't let him have it. I picked up the dagger and put right on her chest hesitant. She smiled and I didn't have other option than to press the dagger harder in her chest until it pierced her heart. She gave me a warm smile before her lifeless body collapsed in front of me to the ground.

I looked at my hands and I couldn't believe, I had just killed my sensei. I killed her, was this really the only option, I thought, as I felt the tears streaming down my eyes. Suddenly, I felt a burning sensation in my eyes, and it felt like if more chakra was being liberated from behind my eyeballs. It hurt. I felt the hot burning tears running down my eyes but when they feel on the ground, I saw it was blood. My eyes were bleeding, this feeling was just like when my mother died, I thought.

I was confused, lost in thought when the man in the orange masked came back. "Damm Black Leaves and their stupid rules," he complained as he searched Yunki dead body, he was looking for something. A Scroll.

"Get your filthy hands off her?" I snarled.

"you killed her? you killed her to wake up your Mangekyo Sharingan?" he laughed and seemed amused.

The Mangekyo, I thought, is this what is happening. I grabbed my burning eyes and wiped the bloody tears off my face. I took a deep breath and remembered all my training up to this point. I undid the bandages from my forearms exposing the two seals I had tattooed there. I did the summoning jutsu and summoned a kunai out of my left arm. He was close to me, so I tried hitting him with a Kunai and it just went straight through him. I stepped back and got myself together and analyze the situation better. I summoned the shuriken from left forearm and I tried going for his legs, but they just went through him again.

He just laughed at me, "you will never land a hit."

I took another deep breath, and I remembered Shisui's training. I started to draw chakra through my body and I bolted towards him as fast as I could. I used shadow clones with the flickery jutsu creating mirror images. He saw me running in front of him, I could tell I caught him of guard, when I appeared behind him throwing several kunai at him. "Got you," I said aiming for his neck. He realized I was behind him and tried to evade my attack but one of the kunai landed in his shoulder.

"You stabbed me!" he sounded surprised as he took the kunai from his shoulder and move to face me. For some reason my chakra was draining fast, I couldn't get away. It must be the Magenkyo Sharingan, I thought. He came closer and grabbed me by my neck lifting me up, high. So high that my feet were not touching the floor anymore. "Shisui Uchiha's flickering body technique, interesting. I could kill you, but you are the second person that has ever landed a hit on me," he tilted his head to the side and looked at me carefully. "Plus, I don't think Itachi would be too happy with me," he said as he squeezed my neck harder, "I'm sure he left you alive for a reason".

I couldn't breathe, I felt the veins in my eyes starting to pop. He used my own kunai to stab me twice in the lower part of my abdomen, a groan of pain escaped my lips. "You are quite skilled, I hope to see you soon," he said throwing me on the floor.

He disappeared, and all I could do was hold my wounds. There was blood, a lot of blood and it was leaving my body fast.