Naruto: Threads of Crimson

Hiruzen Sarutobi thumbed through a stack of shinobi profiles as he looked for the best team for the job. What was the job? A quick rescue mission. His wise eyes flicked across the names of chunin he had carefully watched grow through the years trying to decide who to trust with this mission.

'Let's see who can handle this,' he thought, flipping through the pages, humming softly under his breath. Each profile brought its own strengths and weaknesses, but for a mission this technical, he couldn't afford even a slight miscalculation. 'Not fast enough, not observant enough, not competent enough,' he mentally noted with each discarded profile. These were talented shinobi, no doubt, but not quite suited for what lay ahead.

'Oh ho ho, maybe Orochi wouldn't mind letting his student go off on her own for one mission?' Hiruzen smiled with a little twinkle in his eye as he thought about giving this mission to a newly promoted Anko. Hiruzen set the profile aside and kept flipping through the pages just to confirm there wasn't anyone else he wanted to take the mission.

As he flipped to the next page another name appeared at the top, Shiro Uchiha. Hiruzen paused, tapping a thoughtful finger on the profile, letting his gaze linger on the name. The young Uchiha's record was growing under Reika, filling with accomplishments that displayed not only his natural talent but a keen mind that seemed to mature with each mission.

Shiro's precision was exceptional by all accounts, his resolve seemed to sharpen after every challenge he faced. There was an intensity to Shiro, a quiet strength that was rare to find in someone so young. Hiruzen felt a surge of pride for the boy, setting his profile aside, albeit reluctantly, in the pile of those he had ruled out.

Hiruzen continued down the list, and the next name stopped him entirely as well: Shisui Uchiha. A faint smile tugged at the corners of Hiruzen's mouth as nostalgia washed over him, memories of his old friend Kagami flooding back. Shisui bore such a striking resemblance to Kagami—not just physically, but in spirit. That same unbreakable loyalty to his friends and the village, that relentless drive to protect what he held dear and the pride that he held in his clan.

The resemblance was almost uncanny, as if Kagami's very essence had somehow been passed on. 'He has Kagami's hair, that much is certain,' Hiruzen thought, a fondness for the late Uchiha still in his heart. 'And his Sharingan, it's developing just as rapidly as Kagami's did back in the day. But it's that fire, that determination—Kagami had it, and now Shisui does too.'

For a moment, Hiruzen let himself imagine a future where Shiro and Shisui, alongside others like Kakashi, would one day lead Konoha into another era of strength and stability. 'Perhaps they could be ANBU candidates in a few years, and I could help them grow their notability,' he mused, though he quickly dismissed the idea. 'No, they're still too young. Even Kakashi, as brilliant as he is, isn't quite ready for ANBU, though he will be soon.'

He placed Shisui's profile ontop of Shiro's in the pile of rejected candidates, not because of lack of ability but because he thought the two might be too young to handle a mission by themselves during wartime.

He was preparing to assign the mission to a different team of skilled Uchiha chunin that had been making a name for themselves recently, Raiden and Kuroi, when another thought struck him. His eyes shifted back to Shiro and Shisui's profiles, something tugging at the edges of his mind. 'Perhaps this mission could be the right test for them as newly promoted chunin,' he considered.

Reika had already been sent to the frontlines against the Sand, but the specifics of this mission were manageable enough. Shiro and Shisui had proved they were capable under pressure, maybe they could handle it alone.

Decision made, Hiruzen took a deep breath and put up a hand to the shadows of his office, "Summon Shiro and Shisui Uchiha to my office."

A soft rustle from the corner of the room signaled the ANBU operative's acknowledgment, as the silence settled once more.

----------------

Ducking low, I dodged Shisui's punch as it whipped past my ear, the sheer force of it kicking up a breeze against my cheek. His speed was bordering on mind-boggling, his attacks coming at me with relentless precision.

I barely had time to react to the next few punches, blocking and parrying as fast as my body allowed. 'He's way too fast,' I thought, twisting away from another blow and returning a quick jab of my own.

It was almost like time slowed down even more with my Sharingan active now. Every move he made felt clear and vivid, 'It's like someone just cranked up the sharpness and cranked down the speed.'

I felt like I could see damn near everything. The way his chakra flowed to reinforce his attacks, the minute changes in his stance, the slight tensing of muscles under his skin, even the flicker in his eyes a split second before he moved.

The three tomoe sharingan was such a major upgrade from even just the two tomoe, I felt like I was seeing into the future. 'I get it now,' I thought, a smirk tugging at my lips as I dodged yet another punch. 'This is why the clan guards the sharingan so fiercely. The three tomoe… it's unreal.'

Shisui suddenly blurred forward, so fast that I could only sidestep at the last moment. I caught his wrist, twisting it just enough to throw off his balance, but he recovered instantly, doing a backhandspring into a tree and then pushing off for a counterattack that threw me backward ten feet just from blocking it. We were both grinning now, exhilarated and fully immersed in the fight.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

From his hidden perch, the ANBU agent observed the two young Uchiha prodigies below, moving in unison, their sparring a blur of raw skill and precision. Beneath his mask, he remained impassive, but internally, he couldn't deny his quiet astonishment.

'No wonder Lord Hokage speaks of them so highly,' he thought, watching Shisui dart forward, his speed too fast to track for anyone below high chunin level. His strikes were fluid and confident, far beyond what most could manage at his age. Shiro, just as focused, countered with precision, adapting nearly instantaneously as he saw each attack coming.

The agent recalled snippets of conversations overheard in the Hokage's office. About how the younger generations seem to be getting stronger and stronger and how he feels that Minato and Fugaku are more powerful than even he was at their age.

'He seems to be right on the nose with these two as well,' he mused, 'But even he may not realize how quickly they're advancing. I feel like they might be rivaling Kakashi's progress when he was their age.'

The ANBU's thoughts drifted, his respect for the pair growing just a little bit as he watched them. It was rare to see young shinobi who seemed to be battling at such a level so young.

'That damn sharingan makes it look as if they're reading each other's thoughts,' he noted, fascinated.

His gaze settled on Shiro, whose expression looked like a perfect blend of patience and awareness. 'Shiro's fighting style doesn't seem to just rely on the sharingan though; it seems to be practiced and strategic, every move trying to keep Shisui off balance.' It was a type of care few Uchiha clansmen possessed and close to no younger Uchiha possessed.

In the next moment, Shisui's fist was intercepted by Shiro, only for Shiro to twist his grip and send Shisui back towards a tree doing a furious set of flips. Using his momentum, Shisui then launched off a nearby tree and he countered with a roundhouse kick to Shiro's ribs that was blocked throwing Shiro back ten feet or so.

As Shisui launched a final strike, narrowly countered by Shiro, the ANBU agent felt a faint smile beneath his mask. 'Lord Hokage may be cautious with the Uchiha clan lately,' he acknowledged, his gaze lingering on the boys' sharp movements. 'But he has an eye for talent—and he knows they'll be shinobi worth watching as they grow. If they're already this formidable now, I can only imagine the power they'll hold in a few short years.'

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Without a word, an ANBU dropped appeared in the clearing that me and Shisui were fighting in. He cleared his throat, catching our attention instantly. Both Shisui and I turned to face him, watching as he straightened up.

"You're both being summoned to the Hokage's office," he said, his voice carrying the faintest hint of something which was way different than any other time I had the pleasure of talking to an ANBU agent. But before either of us could respond, he flickered away, vanishing as suddenly as he'd appeared.

Shisui turned to me with a smirk. "Did you see that? I think we actually got an ANBU to show some emotion. We might've impressed him a little," he said, giving me a waggle of his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes, shooting back, "Please. You just looked stupid moving as fast as you were."

Shisui only laughed, clearly taking my words as a challenge. "You're just jealous you're not as fast as me," he teased, his voice full of mock bravado as he puffed his chest out a little.

Rolling my eyes again, I shot a look at Shisui before looking back to the tall office building we were headed toward. "Would you shut it, besides, even if you are fast I can still see every move you make now."

Shisui frowned slightly while looking at me thinking, 'I wonder when he'll get out of this funk he's in right now. If we were to be given a mission I feel like his judgment might be clouded during it.' 

Before I could react, he flicked my forehead with a quick, sharp flick. I blinked, stunned, my head jerking back in surprise. Shisui was already smiling as he doubled over, laughing, practically wheezing. "Didn't see that one coming, huh?" he managed between laughs.

With an annoyed huff, I kicked him in the shin, then walked off toward the Hokage's office, leaving him laughing even louder as he jogged to catch up. 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Inside the Hokage's office, we stood at attention, a mix of pride and anticipation stirring within me as Hiruzen looked up, a warm smile settling across his face.

"Shiro. Shisui," he greeted, his tone soft, the warmth of his voice easing any nervousness. "How are you two doing? I've heard from Reika that you both have been pushing yourselves. How's the training been coming along?"

"It's been good," I replied, the satisfaction clear in my voice. "Getting my third tomoe has really changed things during sparring. Other than that, we've been focusing on our teamwork and finding new techniques in the library." Shisui nodded, grinning beside me.

"Yeah," he added, scratching the back of his neck, "I've been trying to combine chakra nature transformation with my Body Flicker—seeing if I can make it even faster. No success yet, though."

The Hokage's eyebrows rose slightly. "I can't say I've ever heard of that being attempted before," his expression seemed to say, a glimmer of intrigue in his eyes.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," he said warmly, a grandfatherly tone softening his words. "Relying on skill rather than just talent is something many young shinobi overlook. You both should be proud." Shisui and I exchanged a quick, satisfied glance.

His gaze softened, filled with nostalgia as he continued. "You know, you both remind me of your fathers," he said, his voice carrying a depth of memory that went beyond mere words. "Shisui, that caring spirit and bright smile of yours—it's pure Toushin. And you, Shiro," he looked at me, his eyes gentle, "your precision, your knack for genjutsu… every time I see you, I see Kaito in you."

Hearing him mention my father's name sent a jolt of anger through me, the memory still fresh enough to sting. But beneath the grief was a quiet pride, a warmth that filled the hollow space left by his loss. Being compared to him, even in a small way, felt like a way to honor him. I straightened slightly, allowing the hint of a smile to settle on my face.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," I said, my voice steady, though my heart felt fuller. Hiruzen's gaze held mine for a moment, a silent understanding passing between us before he gave a slight nod, his expression as gentle as ever.

"These qualities aren't just rare," Hiruzen continued, his tone growing more serious, "they're invaluable to the Leaf. And because of that, I have a mission for you two." He slid a scroll across the desk, the crisp sound catching our attention as we leaned in slightly.

"Your first extraction mission," he announced. "One of our intel gatherers has been captured and taken to an outpost on our borders. It's a straightforward mission, but it'll be a good test of your abilities as newly appointed chunin."

"There shouldn't be any high-level threats," Hiruzen continued, his gaze steady. "But remember, the priority is to secure our comrade and provide aid as needed. This means it's best to keep things quiet—avoid drawing unnecessary attention."

"Understood, Lord Hokage," we both said, bowing in unison, our voices respectful.

"Good, now go and rescue our fellow shinobi." He nooded as he handed us the mission scroll to hold onto.

With the mission scroll in hand, we flickered out of the office, leaving behind the familiar warmth of Hiruzen's smile as we set off, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

(A/N: They are getting into their first real mission as chunin, Hiruzen says that nothing interesting should happen but, will he be right?)

Powerstone Goals:

25 by Sunday = Extra Chapter

50 by Sunday = 2 Extra Chapters