Espadara Uchiha
Active member
The sun rose steadily over the horizon, casting a soft glow upon the Konoha Orphanage. A young boy with spiky blonde hair sat on the roof of the Orphanage, basking in the sunlight, closing his blue eyes in order to enjoy it even more. He leaned back to lie down on the roof, lazily opening one eye.
"You shouldn't be up here, Aniki..." A soft voice interrupted his relaxation, and the boy turned to look at who had spoken. A slightly younger boy had now struggled to climb atop of the building, hesitantly sitting down. He looked extremely similar to the first boy, but where the first had spiky hair, this boy's hair was straight and tied in a short ponytail. His eyes, instead of blue, were a light green. The new boy was shooting small glances at his elder brother, silently twiddling his fingers in nervousness.
"Don't worry, Hirato. I'm gonna enter the Ninja Academy; I can't be afraid to climb up a building." said the first boy, crossing his arms behind his head. He seemed to notice the younger boys nervousness, and stood up slowly as not to fall. "Hey, calm down Hirato. The Sandaime said that we could both enter the Academy! Isn't that great?!" He exclaimed, his eyes twinkling in mirth. He looked at his younger brother excitedly.
Hirato looked at the ground, doing his best to hide a small scowl. "But..." He started saying, still hesitant. "I hate...I don't really like ninja, Minato..." He trailed off, finally looking at his brother, expecting to see disappointment. All he saw was his brother softly smiling, as if accepting of his dislike for shinobi. "But, Aniki..." He began speaking again, a bit stronger now. "If you want to become a ninja, then so will I!"
Minato laughed good-naturedly, softly placing a hand on Hirato's head and ruffling his hair. "Don't be scared Hirato. When we become Shinobi, I'll protect you. That's what big brothers do for their siblings, right?" He said, chuckling as Hirato's face split into a large grin.
Hirato looked at his brother, and couldn't help but smile. Even if he hated ninja...Hirato swore that he would do his best to protect his brother, the only family he had left.
***
Hirato sat down at his desk in the Ninja Academy, smiling briefly at his brother sitting on the opposite side of the room. While his brother, with his lively personality, had garnered the friendship and affection of most of the class, Hirato felt better sitting on the sides, trading as little words with the other students as possible. He attempted to focus on his studies, but even the time he dedicated bore little fruit; Hirato just had no talent for becoming a shinobi.
Of course, where Hirato failed, Minato excelled in. Minato was currently the Rookie of the Year, while Hirato was the Dead Last in practicals. Where Minato always hit the target with his kunai, Hirato would only manage to hit the sides. When Minato took down someone in Taijutsu, Hirato was often the one taken down. Despite Hirato's failures, Minato was always there to help soften the blow, and to help Hirato whenever he could.
Even though Hirato failed often, his classmates had learned not to antagonize him over it. The last to suggest for Minato to just give up on his 'failure of a brother' suffered a broken nose and several bruises courtesy of the spiky haired youth. Hirato didn't like the fact that he was causing his brother to get into fights, and tried to stay as unnoticed as he could.
The long haired Namikaze looked at the new girl in the class, Kushina Uzumaki, with a scowl. He didn't like the girl, not because she was foreigner, but because he had tried to make friends with her, hoping that she wouldn't dismiss him for his brother like everyone else had. He had been half correct. While she didn't brush him off for his brother, she had still rather hurtfully insult him. He had just been trying to ask if she was okay after a few girls had called her Tomato, but he was too nervous to talk quickly enough before she had begun insulting him, causing him to run away.
He sighed softly, looking at his textbook. He let his eyes roam the classroom again, catching sight of his brother, who gave him an encouraging smile. Hirato smiled back, and began reading his textbook more thoroughly. He would have to try even harder if he wanted to become a ninja alongside his brother.
***
Hirato drug himself dejectedly into the small apartment give to him and his brother, laying his bag softly atop the table. He sat down, rubbing his head with his hands. The Graduation Test had been today, his chance to become a ninja in order to protect his Aniki.
He had failed. He had gotten one of the lowest scores in the class, truly cementing his Dead Last status. His aniki, of course, had passed with shining colors. Even the Uzumaki girl had passed, something that angered Hirato like nothing else.
He was broken from his thoughts when the door opened, his brother running in whooping in celebration. "Hirato, you won't believe it! My sensei is Jiraiya himself! You know, the Sannin!" Minato yelled excitedly, throwing his bag hazardously somewhere else. "Hah! With him as my sensei, I might actually fulfill my dream of becoming Hokage!" Minato stopped cheering, seemingly finally realizing his brothers mood. "What's wrong, Hirato?"
Hirato looked down at the floor, not wanting to see disappointment in his brother's eyes even as he furiously fought the tears that were attempting to come. "It's just...I didn't pass, Aniki...I wanted to become a ninja too..." Minato's face sobered up, and he gingerly placed a hand on Hirato's shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry! You're a year younger than me, you would've broken tons of records had you passed today. Besides, they probably knew they couldn't handle two Namikaze entering the service at the same time, didn't they?" Minato said, a smile adorning his face. Hirato raised his head, wiping the tears away with his sleeve.
"Right Aniki!"
***
Hirato rushed himself back home, a Konoha headband clutched in his hand and a large smile on his face. He opened the door, and yelled out. "Aniki! I passed!" It had been nearly three years since he had first failed the exam, and he had tried as hard as he could to pass the time after that. It was only now that he had managed to scrape together an acceptable score on his test, and just the bare minimum for his practical.
Silence met his exuberant shout, and Hirato entered the apartment to see it empty. His face slightly went downcast, and he tossed his headband onto a nearby table. "Aniki..."
***
"Alright Minato, let's try this again."
"Yes Sensei!" Minato said, sweating with a three-pronged kunai in his hand. His sensei Jiraiya stood on the other side of the training field, ready to step in should anything go wrong. Minato threw the kunai on the other end of the field, than seemingly teleported to it in a flash of yellow. When he appeared beside the kunai, he stood panting, before cheering. "Yes! I did it!"
Jiraiya smiled, patting Minato on the back. "Great job." Minato smiled even harder under his sensei's praise.
"Hey Aniki!" Minato and Jiraiya turned to look at the new voice, to see Hirato standing at the edge of the clearing. He was wearing a red shirt and black pants, his Konoha Headband tied upon his right arm. He waved at Minato. "Watch this!" He began concentrating, as lightning began to spark upon his right palm. A moment later, a small flame came to life upon his left. He clutched his hands into fists, and looked with excitement to Minato. "See? I learned my chakra natures! I've been trying to merge it with my Taijutsu..."
Minato was about to speak, to congratulate his brother, when Jiraiya interrupted him. "That's great Hirato. Me and your brother are in the middle of training right now, so can you show him later?" Hirato frowned, but nodded his head after an apologizing look from his brother.
***
Hirato wrapped a bandage around his arm, looking with desperation at his team. Mikoto Uchiha was looking into to forest with her Sharingan activated, a large bandaged wound across her chest. Shibi Aburame was sitting silently on her left, one arm with a sling while a few bugs were buzzing silently around him. Their sensei, a Hyuga, looked serious as he looked over his team's injuries.
Shibi broke the silence. "Sensei. A large chakra presence is approaching us." Hirato looked alarmed, Mikoto settled her expression into one that wouldn't show her fear, and their sensei nodded.
The Hyuga stood up, and activated his Byakugan. "Shit...I'd know that chakra anywhere. It's Zoki of the Massacre. We need to move, now." Hirato and his team stood up, and began running atop the tree branches through the forest. What had first been a casual patrol mission had turned deadly when Kiri Missing nin had targeted them, causing several injuries to range across them.
A loud explosion suddenly rocketed across the forest, destroying the branch Hirato was on as he fell to the ground below. He grit his teeth in pain as he felt every bone in his left leg break. He looked up at his team, who were staring at him in varying emotions. Mikoto looked teary, and Shibi attempted to jump down to get Hirato when another explosion rang out. Their sensei grabbed Shibi's arm, preventing him from rescuing their downed teammate. "You can't save him...it's too late."
Hirato looked in disbelief as his team turned their back to him, and he wanted to cry in both pain and betrayal. As his team left, he heard his sensei's voice. "The mission is always more important than a ninja...especially a ninja who lacks talent."
Hirato felt tears sliding down his face as the explosions got closer, but he forcefully wiped them away, grabbing a nearby large branch and a roll of bandages from his sleeve. He forced the branch against his broken leg, bandaging it tightly with the branch. He forced himself to stand up, the pain in his leg nearly pushing him unconscious, but he fought through it.
He fought through it, for his brother. In the end, everything he had done was for Minato. He became a ninja for him, and trained in order to protect him as much as he could. But he knew that he would just fall behind, as Minato kept getting stronger and stronger. Minato was already a Jonin, while Hirato was still only a Genin. And if Minato kept going as he was, than soon he would be Hokage, and have no use for Hirato anymore.
"Keh. So, looks like they left the little dead weight behind, huh?" A cruel voice made its presence known from behind him, and Hirato turned around to see a large shark-like man with a long, black katana in one hand, a bundle of explosive kunai in the other. The katana, which he swung casually around, sliced through the trees with ease. "I'll put ya out of your misery. You aren't even a ninja anyway, no reason for you to suffer. Keh..." He approached slowly, taking obvious pleasure in the fear in Hirato's eyes.
Hirato shuffled back, wincing from the pain in his foot. He felt tears beginning to come up, but forced them to go back down. He wouldn't give this man, this...ninja, the satisfaction. He thought of his brother, and how slowly he would become like this man. "You're right." Hirato spoke suddenly, with a certain edge in his voice that caused even the large Zoki to stop in his tracks. "I'm not a ninja. I have no talent for it. But..." His brothers smiling face appeared in his mind. 'I'll protect you. That's what Big Brothers do for their siblings, right?'. "But I'm also a brother, with my own mission. And if my sensei ever taught me anything, it's that the mission is always more important than a ninja. And I'm positive...that my mission is more important than you." Hirato rose his head, glaring at Zoki with such hatred that caused the brutish ninja to step back.
Sparks began racing along his hand, while fire began racing across the other. "They say a ninja's life is solely for their village. But you don't have one, now do you?" He muttered, taking a step forward. "That means that your life means nothing. So I won't feel bad about your death." Taking another step, ignoring the horrible pain from his leg, he began slowly speeding up at the ninja. Zoki laughed, racing forward, bringing his katana forward to slice him in two.
Hirato shifted to the side, feeling the sword slice into his side. Ignoring the pain, Hirato brought his fist up, punching the man under the chin with his lightning coated fist. The man shot into the air from the force of Hirato's lightning chakra strengthened fist, and Hirato began channeling chakra into his entire body, remembering everything he had seen during Minato's training for the Hiraishin. Hirato shot up towards his opponent in the sky, raining fists as they went higher and higher, clearing the branches from the force of their ascent. 'Rising Dragon!'
Channeling lightning chakra to his entire body, he shot up in a bolt of pure lightning, turning in midair to rain flaming blows upon Zoki, who was unable to defend. A stray spark caught upon one of the exploding tags in Zoki's hands, slowly beginning to activate it. 'Descending Tiger!'
Placing his fists together, he merged his lightning and fire chakra together and slammed it into Zoki's gut, blood erupting out of Zoki's mouth and a crack from Hirato's leg from the strain he had forced upon it, his burns were practically exploding in pain. Zoki crashed into the ground from the final blow, the explosive notes exploded capturing both fighters in its blast. 'Heavens Palm!'
Hirato struggled up, blood pouring down out of his wounds. He couldn't feel his left leg anymore, and just by looking at it he could tell it would take a powerful healer to truly fix it, and it would probably never be usable for battle again. Looking down at Zoki's corpse, he took the katana from Zoki's palm, somehow completely unscathed despite the explosion. Strabbing it to his back, Hirato made his way back to the village...to save his brother.
***
Hirato opened the door to his apartment, taking the new chunin vest in his hands and throwing onto the couch. He looked over the apartment, a slight creak sounding off whenever he took a step from his mechanical left leg. He was wearing a patterned red kimono, decorative white obi, and golden armour adorned with a lion, spiral designs, and clawed gauntlets. His ponytail was tied to reach into his kimono, and the top of it was upturned with a golden hairpin.
He entered the kitchen, seeing Minato sitting in a chair reading a newspaper. Ignoring his brothers nod of acknowledgement, he began speaking. "You're becoming a Jonin-Sensei?"
Minato smiled, setting the newspaper down. "You heard the news? I wanted to tell you myself. I won't have to take as many as dangerous missions, and it actually pays a bit better with less risk." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"But why, Minato? Why train kids to become ninja?! Ninja's kill people, Minato! Don't you remember who killed our parents?" Hirato yelled in rage, backing down only when he saw the dangerous look in Minato's eye.
"Of course I still remember. But those were Iwagakure ninja. You shouldn't hate all ninja for the actions of a few." Minato admonished, glaring slightly at his brother. He had thought that Hirato would grow out of his dislike of ninja over the years, but it seemingly strengthened after his disastrous patrol mission.
Hirato glared back at Minato. "Why do you need extra money anyway? You perform S-Rank missions for a living!"
Minato sighed. He decided that it was time to tell him the big news. "Look. The real reason I want to be a Jonin-Sensei is so I get used to children. I'm thinking of asking Kushina to marry me." Minato chuckled, only to stop as Hirato slammed his fist into the wall.
"That...You're thinking of marrying that...Thing?" Hirato said, in an almost accusatory tone. "The Uzumaki?!"
Minato looked at Hirato. "What did you mean, 'Thing', Hirato?" He asked dangerously. Hirato paused, looking from one end of the room to the other, before seemingly gathering his courage.
He looked at Minato in the eyes, and spoke slowly. "That thing...she's a Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, Minato! And she's from the Uzumaki clan! She's obviously using you, Minato, to revive her clan. Just like the Kitsune, she's tricking you! Why can't you-" Hirato was cut off as Minato punched him in the face, slugging him against the wall. Hirato touched his face, shocked that his brother had struck him.
When Minato spoke next, it was with a cold tone. "Never talk about her like that. She already suffers enough. I don't care if you're my brother...I won't have you insult her." Minato glared at Hirato, who turned around and began leaving.
When he placed his hand on the door, he turned to look at Minato. "I...I'm just trying to protect you, Minato."
***
Minato rushed through the forest, a worried look on his face. He had told Kushina of his argument with Hirato, and Kushina had told him to make up with his younger brother. Kushina had told him that she could understand Hirato's hatred, and that while she wouldn't let get in the way of their relationship, she hoped that she show him that she really did love Minato. When Minato had went to find Hirato, he found no sign of him within the village.
So Minato was now within the path to the Valley of the End, tracking his brother with the Hiraishin seal he had placed on him years ago. Rain began appearing in his vision, as he reached the Valley where Madara and Hashirama had fought. Hirato was standing on Hashirama's head, his eyes closed and his back to Minato. "I see...you followed me."
Minato put a small smile on his face. "Well of course. I'm here to protect you...I'm your brother, after all." The silence stretching from that statement was nearly unbearable to him, the only sound being the heavy rain in the valley, and the large waterfall. Hirato turned around, a cold expression on his face, his right fist channeling lightning chakra, and Zoki's katana, Muramasa, in his left.
"You call me brother. But in the end...you're just another ninja." Hirato stated, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you know the history of this place, Shinobi? It was here that Hashirama fought Madara. It was said their battle was so large it carved the valley. But between the two of us...Hmph. Our battle won't last too long to make a major change. I'll be sure to kill you quickly." Hirato launched forward at Minato, bringing Muramasa down to slice Minato, who blocked it with a Tri-pronged kunai. Minato formed a Rasengan with his other hand, slamming it straight into Hirato's chest.
Hirato launched back from the force of the Spiraling Ball, crashing into Madara's statue. As he began falling down, he slammed his hand onto the statue, filling it with chakra to slow his descent. He glared at his brother, launching himself from the statue with lightning circling his fist. Minato disappeared in a yellow flash, appearing below his brother as a seal briefly glowed upon Hirato's chest. Minato slammed another Rasengan into Hirato's chest, forcing him to the water below.
Hirato slammed into the water, forcing his body out of the path of yet another Rasengan. He stood on the water, looking carefully at Minato. "You marked me with a Hiraishin?" He inquired, already knowing the answer. Not even waiting for a response, He placed Muramasa back into its seal and let fire race along his hand, and ripped the skin off of his chest. He winced in slight pain, but glared at Minato once more. "You keep using that technique...Rasengan, was it? Well, I created my own attempt at it." Raising his palm in the air, lightning began encircling it, forming a sphere in his hand that kept alternating between a perfect sphere and a more oval shape.
"THIS is my ultimate technique! Raijin!" He exclaimed, launching himself towards Minato. Minato, a serious expression across his face, shot forward with a large Rasengan in his palm. The two brothers slammed their attacks into each other, both pushing to win the battle for dominance, for Freedom or the Village.
'Raijin!'
'Odama Rasengan!'
The two attacks were equally matched, and the two brothers still continued fighting for the loss of the other. Hirato suddenly let a grin cross his face, bringing his other hand to punch Minato in the face. The punch knocked Minato's concentration off, allowing the Raijin to overpower him. Minato coughed blood from the impact of the attack, getting launched back into the ground.
Hirato came down from above, elbowing Minato into the ground with a chakra enhanced strike. Standing back up, ignoring the wounds he had received, Hirato scoffed. "Pathetic...is this the Yellow Flash's power?"
Minato was too weak to respond, black spots filling his vision. He attempted to raise his hand in an attempt to grab Hirato.
Hirato began walking off, pausing a brief moment away. He began speaking softly to himself, though Minato heard every word. "I'm sorry Aniki...The Shinobi killed you too..." Before Minato fell unconscious, he thought that he could see a tear fall from his younger brothers face.
When Minato next heard of his brother, it was news that his brother was killed by a squad of Iwagakure shinobi.
"You shouldn't be up here, Aniki..." A soft voice interrupted his relaxation, and the boy turned to look at who had spoken. A slightly younger boy had now struggled to climb atop of the building, hesitantly sitting down. He looked extremely similar to the first boy, but where the first had spiky hair, this boy's hair was straight and tied in a short ponytail. His eyes, instead of blue, were a light green. The new boy was shooting small glances at his elder brother, silently twiddling his fingers in nervousness.
"Don't worry, Hirato. I'm gonna enter the Ninja Academy; I can't be afraid to climb up a building." said the first boy, crossing his arms behind his head. He seemed to notice the younger boys nervousness, and stood up slowly as not to fall. "Hey, calm down Hirato. The Sandaime said that we could both enter the Academy! Isn't that great?!" He exclaimed, his eyes twinkling in mirth. He looked at his younger brother excitedly.
Hirato looked at the ground, doing his best to hide a small scowl. "But..." He started saying, still hesitant. "I hate...I don't really like ninja, Minato..." He trailed off, finally looking at his brother, expecting to see disappointment. All he saw was his brother softly smiling, as if accepting of his dislike for shinobi. "But, Aniki..." He began speaking again, a bit stronger now. "If you want to become a ninja, then so will I!"
Minato laughed good-naturedly, softly placing a hand on Hirato's head and ruffling his hair. "Don't be scared Hirato. When we become Shinobi, I'll protect you. That's what big brothers do for their siblings, right?" He said, chuckling as Hirato's face split into a large grin.
Hirato looked at his brother, and couldn't help but smile. Even if he hated ninja...Hirato swore that he would do his best to protect his brother, the only family he had left.
***
Hirato sat down at his desk in the Ninja Academy, smiling briefly at his brother sitting on the opposite side of the room. While his brother, with his lively personality, had garnered the friendship and affection of most of the class, Hirato felt better sitting on the sides, trading as little words with the other students as possible. He attempted to focus on his studies, but even the time he dedicated bore little fruit; Hirato just had no talent for becoming a shinobi.
Of course, where Hirato failed, Minato excelled in. Minato was currently the Rookie of the Year, while Hirato was the Dead Last in practicals. Where Minato always hit the target with his kunai, Hirato would only manage to hit the sides. When Minato took down someone in Taijutsu, Hirato was often the one taken down. Despite Hirato's failures, Minato was always there to help soften the blow, and to help Hirato whenever he could.
Even though Hirato failed often, his classmates had learned not to antagonize him over it. The last to suggest for Minato to just give up on his 'failure of a brother' suffered a broken nose and several bruises courtesy of the spiky haired youth. Hirato didn't like the fact that he was causing his brother to get into fights, and tried to stay as unnoticed as he could.
The long haired Namikaze looked at the new girl in the class, Kushina Uzumaki, with a scowl. He didn't like the girl, not because she was foreigner, but because he had tried to make friends with her, hoping that she wouldn't dismiss him for his brother like everyone else had. He had been half correct. While she didn't brush him off for his brother, she had still rather hurtfully insult him. He had just been trying to ask if she was okay after a few girls had called her Tomato, but he was too nervous to talk quickly enough before she had begun insulting him, causing him to run away.
He sighed softly, looking at his textbook. He let his eyes roam the classroom again, catching sight of his brother, who gave him an encouraging smile. Hirato smiled back, and began reading his textbook more thoroughly. He would have to try even harder if he wanted to become a ninja alongside his brother.
***
Hirato drug himself dejectedly into the small apartment give to him and his brother, laying his bag softly atop the table. He sat down, rubbing his head with his hands. The Graduation Test had been today, his chance to become a ninja in order to protect his Aniki.
He had failed. He had gotten one of the lowest scores in the class, truly cementing his Dead Last status. His aniki, of course, had passed with shining colors. Even the Uzumaki girl had passed, something that angered Hirato like nothing else.
He was broken from his thoughts when the door opened, his brother running in whooping in celebration. "Hirato, you won't believe it! My sensei is Jiraiya himself! You know, the Sannin!" Minato yelled excitedly, throwing his bag hazardously somewhere else. "Hah! With him as my sensei, I might actually fulfill my dream of becoming Hokage!" Minato stopped cheering, seemingly finally realizing his brothers mood. "What's wrong, Hirato?"
Hirato looked down at the floor, not wanting to see disappointment in his brother's eyes even as he furiously fought the tears that were attempting to come. "It's just...I didn't pass, Aniki...I wanted to become a ninja too..." Minato's face sobered up, and he gingerly placed a hand on Hirato's shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry! You're a year younger than me, you would've broken tons of records had you passed today. Besides, they probably knew they couldn't handle two Namikaze entering the service at the same time, didn't they?" Minato said, a smile adorning his face. Hirato raised his head, wiping the tears away with his sleeve.
"Right Aniki!"
***
Hirato rushed himself back home, a Konoha headband clutched in his hand and a large smile on his face. He opened the door, and yelled out. "Aniki! I passed!" It had been nearly three years since he had first failed the exam, and he had tried as hard as he could to pass the time after that. It was only now that he had managed to scrape together an acceptable score on his test, and just the bare minimum for his practical.
Silence met his exuberant shout, and Hirato entered the apartment to see it empty. His face slightly went downcast, and he tossed his headband onto a nearby table. "Aniki..."
***
"Alright Minato, let's try this again."
"Yes Sensei!" Minato said, sweating with a three-pronged kunai in his hand. His sensei Jiraiya stood on the other side of the training field, ready to step in should anything go wrong. Minato threw the kunai on the other end of the field, than seemingly teleported to it in a flash of yellow. When he appeared beside the kunai, he stood panting, before cheering. "Yes! I did it!"
Jiraiya smiled, patting Minato on the back. "Great job." Minato smiled even harder under his sensei's praise.
"Hey Aniki!" Minato and Jiraiya turned to look at the new voice, to see Hirato standing at the edge of the clearing. He was wearing a red shirt and black pants, his Konoha Headband tied upon his right arm. He waved at Minato. "Watch this!" He began concentrating, as lightning began to spark upon his right palm. A moment later, a small flame came to life upon his left. He clutched his hands into fists, and looked with excitement to Minato. "See? I learned my chakra natures! I've been trying to merge it with my Taijutsu..."
Minato was about to speak, to congratulate his brother, when Jiraiya interrupted him. "That's great Hirato. Me and your brother are in the middle of training right now, so can you show him later?" Hirato frowned, but nodded his head after an apologizing look from his brother.
***
Hirato wrapped a bandage around his arm, looking with desperation at his team. Mikoto Uchiha was looking into to forest with her Sharingan activated, a large bandaged wound across her chest. Shibi Aburame was sitting silently on her left, one arm with a sling while a few bugs were buzzing silently around him. Their sensei, a Hyuga, looked serious as he looked over his team's injuries.
Shibi broke the silence. "Sensei. A large chakra presence is approaching us." Hirato looked alarmed, Mikoto settled her expression into one that wouldn't show her fear, and their sensei nodded.
The Hyuga stood up, and activated his Byakugan. "Shit...I'd know that chakra anywhere. It's Zoki of the Massacre. We need to move, now." Hirato and his team stood up, and began running atop the tree branches through the forest. What had first been a casual patrol mission had turned deadly when Kiri Missing nin had targeted them, causing several injuries to range across them.
A loud explosion suddenly rocketed across the forest, destroying the branch Hirato was on as he fell to the ground below. He grit his teeth in pain as he felt every bone in his left leg break. He looked up at his team, who were staring at him in varying emotions. Mikoto looked teary, and Shibi attempted to jump down to get Hirato when another explosion rang out. Their sensei grabbed Shibi's arm, preventing him from rescuing their downed teammate. "You can't save him...it's too late."
Hirato looked in disbelief as his team turned their back to him, and he wanted to cry in both pain and betrayal. As his team left, he heard his sensei's voice. "The mission is always more important than a ninja...especially a ninja who lacks talent."
Hirato felt tears sliding down his face as the explosions got closer, but he forcefully wiped them away, grabbing a nearby large branch and a roll of bandages from his sleeve. He forced the branch against his broken leg, bandaging it tightly with the branch. He forced himself to stand up, the pain in his leg nearly pushing him unconscious, but he fought through it.
He fought through it, for his brother. In the end, everything he had done was for Minato. He became a ninja for him, and trained in order to protect him as much as he could. But he knew that he would just fall behind, as Minato kept getting stronger and stronger. Minato was already a Jonin, while Hirato was still only a Genin. And if Minato kept going as he was, than soon he would be Hokage, and have no use for Hirato anymore.
"Keh. So, looks like they left the little dead weight behind, huh?" A cruel voice made its presence known from behind him, and Hirato turned around to see a large shark-like man with a long, black katana in one hand, a bundle of explosive kunai in the other. The katana, which he swung casually around, sliced through the trees with ease. "I'll put ya out of your misery. You aren't even a ninja anyway, no reason for you to suffer. Keh..." He approached slowly, taking obvious pleasure in the fear in Hirato's eyes.
Hirato shuffled back, wincing from the pain in his foot. He felt tears beginning to come up, but forced them to go back down. He wouldn't give this man, this...ninja, the satisfaction. He thought of his brother, and how slowly he would become like this man. "You're right." Hirato spoke suddenly, with a certain edge in his voice that caused even the large Zoki to stop in his tracks. "I'm not a ninja. I have no talent for it. But..." His brothers smiling face appeared in his mind. 'I'll protect you. That's what Big Brothers do for their siblings, right?'. "But I'm also a brother, with my own mission. And if my sensei ever taught me anything, it's that the mission is always more important than a ninja. And I'm positive...that my mission is more important than you." Hirato rose his head, glaring at Zoki with such hatred that caused the brutish ninja to step back.
Sparks began racing along his hand, while fire began racing across the other. "They say a ninja's life is solely for their village. But you don't have one, now do you?" He muttered, taking a step forward. "That means that your life means nothing. So I won't feel bad about your death." Taking another step, ignoring the horrible pain from his leg, he began slowly speeding up at the ninja. Zoki laughed, racing forward, bringing his katana forward to slice him in two.
Hirato shifted to the side, feeling the sword slice into his side. Ignoring the pain, Hirato brought his fist up, punching the man under the chin with his lightning coated fist. The man shot into the air from the force of Hirato's lightning chakra strengthened fist, and Hirato began channeling chakra into his entire body, remembering everything he had seen during Minato's training for the Hiraishin. Hirato shot up towards his opponent in the sky, raining fists as they went higher and higher, clearing the branches from the force of their ascent. 'Rising Dragon!'
Channeling lightning chakra to his entire body, he shot up in a bolt of pure lightning, turning in midair to rain flaming blows upon Zoki, who was unable to defend. A stray spark caught upon one of the exploding tags in Zoki's hands, slowly beginning to activate it. 'Descending Tiger!'
Placing his fists together, he merged his lightning and fire chakra together and slammed it into Zoki's gut, blood erupting out of Zoki's mouth and a crack from Hirato's leg from the strain he had forced upon it, his burns were practically exploding in pain. Zoki crashed into the ground from the final blow, the explosive notes exploded capturing both fighters in its blast. 'Heavens Palm!'
Hirato struggled up, blood pouring down out of his wounds. He couldn't feel his left leg anymore, and just by looking at it he could tell it would take a powerful healer to truly fix it, and it would probably never be usable for battle again. Looking down at Zoki's corpse, he took the katana from Zoki's palm, somehow completely unscathed despite the explosion. Strabbing it to his back, Hirato made his way back to the village...to save his brother.
***
Hirato opened the door to his apartment, taking the new chunin vest in his hands and throwing onto the couch. He looked over the apartment, a slight creak sounding off whenever he took a step from his mechanical left leg. He was wearing a patterned red kimono, decorative white obi, and golden armour adorned with a lion, spiral designs, and clawed gauntlets. His ponytail was tied to reach into his kimono, and the top of it was upturned with a golden hairpin.
He entered the kitchen, seeing Minato sitting in a chair reading a newspaper. Ignoring his brothers nod of acknowledgement, he began speaking. "You're becoming a Jonin-Sensei?"
Minato smiled, setting the newspaper down. "You heard the news? I wanted to tell you myself. I won't have to take as many as dangerous missions, and it actually pays a bit better with less risk." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"But why, Minato? Why train kids to become ninja?! Ninja's kill people, Minato! Don't you remember who killed our parents?" Hirato yelled in rage, backing down only when he saw the dangerous look in Minato's eye.
"Of course I still remember. But those were Iwagakure ninja. You shouldn't hate all ninja for the actions of a few." Minato admonished, glaring slightly at his brother. He had thought that Hirato would grow out of his dislike of ninja over the years, but it seemingly strengthened after his disastrous patrol mission.
Hirato glared back at Minato. "Why do you need extra money anyway? You perform S-Rank missions for a living!"
Minato sighed. He decided that it was time to tell him the big news. "Look. The real reason I want to be a Jonin-Sensei is so I get used to children. I'm thinking of asking Kushina to marry me." Minato chuckled, only to stop as Hirato slammed his fist into the wall.
"That...You're thinking of marrying that...Thing?" Hirato said, in an almost accusatory tone. "The Uzumaki?!"
Minato looked at Hirato. "What did you mean, 'Thing', Hirato?" He asked dangerously. Hirato paused, looking from one end of the room to the other, before seemingly gathering his courage.
He looked at Minato in the eyes, and spoke slowly. "That thing...she's a Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, Minato! And she's from the Uzumaki clan! She's obviously using you, Minato, to revive her clan. Just like the Kitsune, she's tricking you! Why can't you-" Hirato was cut off as Minato punched him in the face, slugging him against the wall. Hirato touched his face, shocked that his brother had struck him.
When Minato spoke next, it was with a cold tone. "Never talk about her like that. She already suffers enough. I don't care if you're my brother...I won't have you insult her." Minato glared at Hirato, who turned around and began leaving.
When he placed his hand on the door, he turned to look at Minato. "I...I'm just trying to protect you, Minato."
***
Minato rushed through the forest, a worried look on his face. He had told Kushina of his argument with Hirato, and Kushina had told him to make up with his younger brother. Kushina had told him that she could understand Hirato's hatred, and that while she wouldn't let get in the way of their relationship, she hoped that she show him that she really did love Minato. When Minato had went to find Hirato, he found no sign of him within the village.
So Minato was now within the path to the Valley of the End, tracking his brother with the Hiraishin seal he had placed on him years ago. Rain began appearing in his vision, as he reached the Valley where Madara and Hashirama had fought. Hirato was standing on Hashirama's head, his eyes closed and his back to Minato. "I see...you followed me."
Minato put a small smile on his face. "Well of course. I'm here to protect you...I'm your brother, after all." The silence stretching from that statement was nearly unbearable to him, the only sound being the heavy rain in the valley, and the large waterfall. Hirato turned around, a cold expression on his face, his right fist channeling lightning chakra, and Zoki's katana, Muramasa, in his left.
"You call me brother. But in the end...you're just another ninja." Hirato stated, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you know the history of this place, Shinobi? It was here that Hashirama fought Madara. It was said their battle was so large it carved the valley. But between the two of us...Hmph. Our battle won't last too long to make a major change. I'll be sure to kill you quickly." Hirato launched forward at Minato, bringing Muramasa down to slice Minato, who blocked it with a Tri-pronged kunai. Minato formed a Rasengan with his other hand, slamming it straight into Hirato's chest.
Hirato launched back from the force of the Spiraling Ball, crashing into Madara's statue. As he began falling down, he slammed his hand onto the statue, filling it with chakra to slow his descent. He glared at his brother, launching himself from the statue with lightning circling his fist. Minato disappeared in a yellow flash, appearing below his brother as a seal briefly glowed upon Hirato's chest. Minato slammed another Rasengan into Hirato's chest, forcing him to the water below.
Hirato slammed into the water, forcing his body out of the path of yet another Rasengan. He stood on the water, looking carefully at Minato. "You marked me with a Hiraishin?" He inquired, already knowing the answer. Not even waiting for a response, He placed Muramasa back into its seal and let fire race along his hand, and ripped the skin off of his chest. He winced in slight pain, but glared at Minato once more. "You keep using that technique...Rasengan, was it? Well, I created my own attempt at it." Raising his palm in the air, lightning began encircling it, forming a sphere in his hand that kept alternating between a perfect sphere and a more oval shape.
"THIS is my ultimate technique! Raijin!" He exclaimed, launching himself towards Minato. Minato, a serious expression across his face, shot forward with a large Rasengan in his palm. The two brothers slammed their attacks into each other, both pushing to win the battle for dominance, for Freedom or the Village.
'Raijin!'
'Odama Rasengan!'
The two attacks were equally matched, and the two brothers still continued fighting for the loss of the other. Hirato suddenly let a grin cross his face, bringing his other hand to punch Minato in the face. The punch knocked Minato's concentration off, allowing the Raijin to overpower him. Minato coughed blood from the impact of the attack, getting launched back into the ground.
Hirato came down from above, elbowing Minato into the ground with a chakra enhanced strike. Standing back up, ignoring the wounds he had received, Hirato scoffed. "Pathetic...is this the Yellow Flash's power?"
Minato was too weak to respond, black spots filling his vision. He attempted to raise his hand in an attempt to grab Hirato.
Hirato began walking off, pausing a brief moment away. He began speaking softly to himself, though Minato heard every word. "I'm sorry Aniki...The Shinobi killed you too..." Before Minato fell unconscious, he thought that he could see a tear fall from his younger brothers face.
When Minato next heard of his brother, it was news that his brother was killed by a squad of Iwagakure shinobi.
