Chapter 67 - Chapter 69

Naruto and Gildarts rooms were right opposite each other. It was 5 am and both doors to these rooms opened up at the same time.

"What's with the bags?" Gildarts that stood in the hallway in front of Naruto and pointed at the yellow-haired boys eyes.

"I think you know. Since you have them too." Naruto refuted back and also pointed to Gildarts bags under his eyes.

"Okay... I was just checking if this was real.. We need to soundproof all the rooms. No child should hear that." Gildarts hung his head and sighed.

"ye, let's go and eat breakfast. I need to get this out of my head." Naruto walked towards the kitchen with a tired Gildarts following behind him.

"Naruto, mind if i ask how you met father? He told me he adopted you a few years ago." Gildarts sat down at the big dinner table. Naruto was raiding the fridge for any good food.

"ye no problem. He helped me buy candy from some store when they wouldn't sell it to me. And he asked me to move in the day after. And i have lived here since. Not so exciting is it?" Naruto said while having his head buried inside the fridge.

"We have some pancakes here since yesterday. You want some?" Naruto turned around with a pancake hanging from his mouth.

"Sure. That's fine." Gildarts was a little disgusted with Naruto's total disregard for any sort of table manners.

"By the way, what's that jutsu called that you use? It's so powerful, I would love to learn it." Naruto said and put another piece of pancake in his mouth.

" For god's sake! Sit down and eat properly. That's disgusting." Gildarts slammed his hand down on the table and gave Naruto a stern gaze. He grew up in a cafe, so he enjoyed proper etiquette.

"S...Sorry." Naruto stopped raiding the fridge and carried the plate of pancakes to the table while his head hung in shame.

*sigh*

"I am sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to yell at you. I just like when people follow proper etiquette. Also, i don't use chakra or Jutsu's. We already explained this to you yesterday. Did you not listen?" Gildarts said and breathed in to calm himself down.

"I didn't really understand. Can you explain again?" Naruto pulled out his best puppy eyes.

"If you wouldn't mind, Gildarts. I would also like to hear it. I missed the explanation yesterday." Obito came walking into the kitchen. He had been downstairs and just arrived upstairs.

The upstairs area was essentially just one big corridor.

From the stairs started the corridor with 4 doors on each side. At the end of the corridor was a big room. The room was divided into the kitchen area and the living room.

"Sure, grab a seat," Gildarts said to the newly arrived guest.

"What i use is similar to chakra in a way. The big difference is that we don't need hand signs to use our magic. If you use water magic, you only need your supply of magic power and then you can conjure and control water." Gildarts said with his finger pointed upwards like a real professor.

"Fascinating. So what magic do you use?" Obito seemed entranced into the idea of magic.

"Crush magic. Essentially, i have massive destructive capabilities. If i pour all my magic out at ones, father said that the village would probably disappear into oblivion." Gildarts covered his hand with magic and Naruto and Obito could already feel the destructive aura inside that magic.

"Amazing! Can I learn magic as well?" Naruto said while bouncing in excitement.

"I don't know. But you should focus on mastering chakra first. It's better you master one rather then being average in both." Gildarts took a big bite into a cold pancake and felt the taste fill up his mouth. Still just as good the day after.

"I look forward to the day you master magic, Gildarts. It would be an honor if i could spar with you at that time." Obito tried to give a good smile, but it landed somewhere between forced and too strained. It looked all kinds of fake.

"You should seek out my mom for lessons in smiling. She can probably topple a kingdom with hers." Gildarts said with a teasing tone.

"Maybe that's for the best." He said and tried to smile again. This time Obito's smiled looked and felt just a little bit more genuine.

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Dragon was walking on a stone-paved road on the outskirts of the village. His destination was the Uchiha compound. They had changed their plans and Dragon was making his way there to listen to what they had decided.

Behind him walked a very familiar anbu dressed man. He was the villages strongest anbu and Dragon's personal subordinate, and a Captain of the Gotei 13, Ryu.

Their eyes soon got a glimpse at the compound walls. The gate looked the same and even the guards were the same as when he left last time.

"Lord Dragon. Welcome! Lord Fugaku is waiting for you inside the main branch house." One of the guards said while bowing.

"Lead me there." Both guards bowed but only one started walking and the other one stayed behind to guard the gate.

"Here we are. They are waiting inside." The guard bowed and walked back towards the gate.

Dragon and Ryu walked inside and looked around the room.

Fugaku, his wife Mikoto and their two sons were sitting together. And a few elders were off to the side.

"Welcome, Lord Dragon. It's nice to finally meet you." Fugaku bowed and the rest of the Uchiha's followed suit.

"Nice to meet you all as well. Let's not talk pleasantries. Tell me about this new decision I heard off."

Dragon was surrounded by his domineering and powerful emperor aura. An Uchiha normally hated bowing their heads, but Dragon was naturally releasing such an intense killing intent that they didn't dare be disrespectful.

"The clan is ready to move at any time. But we decided to let Itachi and Sasuke stay in the village. They both wished to stay for the same reason. I will let them explain." Fugaku turned his gaze to Itachi and he started talking.

"My brother and i still feel a strong attachment towards the village despite everything that happened. We don't want to leave it just yet."

Itachi spoke with a neutral tone, but it still contained emotion. This time around, Itachi had been allowed to keep his humanity and kind personality since the massacre was stopped by Dragon.

"Mr Ryu told us about your dojo and that you accept students. My brother and I wish to become students of yours."

Dragon's eyes darted between both brothers and analyzed them both. Nothing escaped his eyes so he basically saw through them on every level.

"Sasuke I could understand. But why you, Itachi? You are powerful already, so tell me why you are seeking even more strength." Dragon ignored Sasuke for the moment and put his pressure on Itachi.

"When Shisui died. I cursed my weakness more then ever before. I watched a friend die in front of my eyes and i couldn't do anything about it. Even before that event, i recognized my own strengths limit."

"All i ask is for the chance to stop something like that from ever happening again. I want the strength to stop the next Danzo that comes running into my village." Itachi had a face full of determination.

"haha, that's a pretty good reason to seek strength." Dragon laughed out loud and snapped his finger. A portal appeared in mid-air and a very familiar attire was dropped from the portal.

"My subordinate, Alucard, is the leader of my empires primary espionage unit, the Akatsuki. I will agree to take Sasuke as my student. But you, Itachi... I want you to become Alucard's student. That's my offer. What do you say?" Dragon had an ear to ear smile.

"Lord Dragon, if I may. Who is this Alucard? Is he a shinobi like us or someone like you? And how strong is he?" Fugaku asked.

"All i will say is that you would need at least nine tailed beasts to stop him in his tracks." Dragon's smile got impossibly wide. A tiny amount of evil intent was visible on Dragon's face and not even he knew where that intent came from.

"A... Are you kidding me? Is he even human?!" Fugaku almost yelled while his jaw hit the floor.

"No, he is not. And that's why I want Itachi to study under him. Alucard can cure Itachi's sickness." This immediately got everyone's attention.

"Big brother, are you sick?" Sasuke grabbed Itachi's arm and gripped it tightly.

"How did you know?" Itachi asked while stroking Sasuke's head and smiled at him.

"Nothing is hidden from me. So what do you say?"

"I get the feeling that becoming his student isn't as simple as it sounds. What's the catch?" Itachi smelled something fishy about this Alucard.

"Alucard will tell you. Of course, that is only if you accept this offer." Dragon had on an evil business man smile.

*sigh* "I accept!" Itachi said eventually.

"Are you sure, Itachi?" Mikoto asked worriedly from the side.

"Yes! I have a strange yet comfortable feeling about this." Itachi returned a smile to his mother.

"Okay, Itachi. Here is a little information piece you will need to know." Dragon caught everyone's attention again.

"In my empire, The Gotei. I have the 13 Captains. They are my direct subordinates and the highest-ranked leaders after me. All of them have or are looking for a Vice-Captain."

"Alucard will only accept to personally train you if he feels you have the potential to become a Vice Admiral. But let me tell you this now. He is not easy to impress." Dragon said in a serious tone. He didn't want Itachi to underestimate how cruel Alucard can be to even his own allies.

"If he feels you are not worthy, you will only become a simple member of the Akatsuki until something else is decided for you."

"Alucard is one-off these leaders? Which position? Fugaku interrupted quickly.

"Fugaku, do not take such a demanding tone with me, boy. If you're gonna talk to me you use a tone of proper respect or consequences are a certainty." Dragon's aura flared up and made Fugaku's heart skip a beat out of fear.

"I apologize, Lord Dragon." Fugaku bowed sincerely very quickly after he got back his bearing.

"And now to answer your question."

"Alucard is the 1st ranked captain. Ryu here is the 8th captain." He turned his gaze to Itachi again.

"I welcome you to the Gotei 13, Itachi. You will train under Alucard and if he deems you worthy. You will become the vice Captain of the 1st Division that Alucard controls. So I am gonna ask you again. Do you accept these conditions?"

"I accept!" He answered in a stoic tone of voice.

"Good. Now on to Sasuke. I am more than happy to take you in as my student. As long as you answer this question honestly."

"Why? Why do you wanna become my student? And don't bother lying. I see through all lies directed at me."

Sasuke removed his gaze from the terrifying eyes of Dragon and looked at the side of Itachi's face. He saw the determination inside his brother's eyes even from his position here beside him. He could even feel the excitement oozing off Itachi.

He turned his gaze away from Itachi and met Dragon's gaze again. Though this time he didn't cower from it.

"I want to best Naruto. I can't stand still walking in place while he keeps running further and further away." Sasuke showed an even more determined face then Itachi.

"Good. you two, come to my dojo tomorrow."

"And Fugaku, Ryu is gonna stay here, so coordinate the transfer with him since he will be moving the clan." Dragon stood up and prepared to leave.

"Goodbye!" Dragon was too lazy to continue this meeting so he quickly ran away from the room.

'Guess the future just got changed. Well, we'll see what happens from now on.' Dragon said to himself while leaving the compound on foot.

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End