An Itachi Fanfiction [EDITING]

The Forest of Chakra

The next morning, Kakashi led us deep into the forest surrounding the Land of Waves.

The air was cool and damp from the mist rolling in from the sea, and despite the peaceful atmosphere, tension still lingered heavily after our fight with Zabuza Momochi.

Kakashi stopped in front of a massive tree.

"If you want to survive the next encounter," he said calmly, "you'll need better chakra control."

Naruto groaned loudly.

"More training?!"

Ignoring him completely, Kakashi walked toward the tree trunk.

Then, without using his hands, he casually began walking straight up the tree.

We all stared.

He stopped upside down on one of the branches before looking back at us lazily.

"Focus chakra into the soles of your feet and maintain a constant output," he explained. "Too little chakra and you'll fall. Too much and you'll destroy the bark."

He tossed a kunai to each of us.

"Mark the highest point you reach before falling. Then keep trying until you succeed."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed immediately.

Naruto looked horrified.

And honestly?

I was excited.

Taking several steps back, I focused chakra into my feet before sprinting toward the tree.

One step.

Two.

Three.

The bark held beneath my feet easily.

Before I knew it, I had landed smoothly on the lowest branch.

Below me, Sakura blinked in surprise.

"This is actually kind of fun!"

I laughed softly. "For once, I agree with you."

I glanced downward just in time to see Sasuke staring at me with clear disbelief written across his face.

I smirked and winked at him.

All those years of training with my parents... with Itachi... had finally paid off.

The thought should have hurt more than it did.

Movement nearby caught my attention.

A crow sat perched silently in the branches of another tree.

Watching.

Again.

Lately they seemed to appear everywhere.

Its dark eyes remained fixed on me.

Something uneasy twisted in my chest before I forced myself to look away.

Just a crow.

I turned my attention back toward Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto barely made it two steps before crashing face-first into the dirt.

Sasuke managed farther, but the bark exploded beneath his feet from using too much chakra.

Despite already succeeding, I kept practising anyway.

Higher.

Faster.

More precise.

Eventually exhaustion settled heavily into my muscles, but I ignored it.