It was sundown before Renji got back home. He was cringing inside, wondering how mad Itachi was going to be with him for being late. He had lost track of time while he was playing with Rukia and her friends. The redhead took a deep breath before walking into the shack.
Itachi was sitting on his futon, a distinct frown on his face. Renji grimaced, not liking the look on Itachi's face. Itachi was different from other grown-ups in many ways. For one, he never got visibly angry. The lack of emotions could have been seen as a blessing; but with Itachi, it was more of a curse. To Renji, Itachi showing no emotions was far scarier than Itachi showing his emotions. The seven-year-old shifted nervously on his feet, waiting for the figurative explosion.
"You're late," Itachi stated, his voice showing no emotion whatsoever.
"I'm sorry, nii-san!" Renji cried out, bowing deeply. "See, I was going to come right back after I stole something from the market, but I didn't. I saw these kids steal some goods before I could and they were being chased by an old fart wielding a hatchet. I helped them and they thanked me. I sorta became friends with them and I was playing with them pretty much this whole day. I lost track of time, nii-san. I'm sorry..."
"You were playing with children about your age?"
"Yeah. Please don't be angry, nii-san! I won't do it again!"
Itachi smiled a bit. "I'm not angry. I'm happy for you."
Renji jerked upright, his mouth gaping. "Eh!?"
"It's alright if you found some kids around your age to play with," Itachi explained. "That's a good thing. But next time, be sure to tell me what's going on so I don't get worried over nothing."
Renji tackle-glomped Itachi, knocking the Uchiha onto his back. "You are the nicest brother ever!"
"You really need to stop doing that, Renji," Itachi groaned, rubbing the sore spot on his head where it had made contact with the floor.
"Sorry, Itachi-nii," Renji sheepishly apologized. "I'll make up for today during training tomorrow. I think I'm getting close to summoning a reiatsu ball!"
"Oh?" Itachi said, raising an eyebrow. "May I see?"
"Yeah!"
Renji got off of Itachi, allowing the male to stand up. Renji stood in the middle of the room. He then placed his hand in front of him, his other hand connecting to his wrist. The redhead concentrated deeply, summoning the energy forth. He let out a cry, struggling to shape the energy into a spherical form. A small blue sphere popped out of his hand, sparking wildly as it hovered over his palm. Renji was shocked at the sparks and immediately broke his concentration. The flickering sphere disappeared into a small explosion of sparks, causing Renji to squeak and hide behind his elder brother's legs.
"Wasn't expecting that to happen!" Renji said guiltily.
"Interesting. It seems my guess was right."
Renji looked up at his brother, finding a calculating look on his elder brother's face. "Nii-san? What were you right about?"
"I think you may have unintentionally discovered you chakra nature," Itachi said.
"My chakra what?"
"Do you want me to explain now or tomorrow?"
"Tell me now, please!" Renji got out from behind Itachi's legs and sat down on the floor, waiting for his brother to explain.
"I thought you would say that," Itachi mused. "As you know, chakra has different forms and can be used in different ways. Chakra control can stem into two different types of transformations. There's shape transformation and nature transformation."
"Uh...oooookaaaaay? And what does that have to do with the small explosion of sparks earlier?"
"Every shinobi has an affinity to one of the five elements that make up nature transformation. I believe you may have showed yours earlier when you tried shaping your spirit energy into a physical form."
"Oh. Really? So what nature was it?"
"Well, there are five main chakra natures: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning. So—"
"Oh, cool! I saw sparks, so does that mean my chakra has a Lightning affinity!? Sweet! I can summon lightning bolts outta my hands!"
"Renji," Itachi said seriously, gaining Renji's attention. "While you may have the ability to use Lightning Release jutsus, I cannot teach them to you."
"Why not?" the redhead asked.
"While I've seen many different types of Lightning Release jutsu, I am unable to perform them. I have no experience with those techniques. Training with your newfound affinity will be far more challenging since you will be on your own."
"I can do it!" Renji said heatedly. "I can do anything I set my mind to! I'll become a master at Lightning Release! Just you watch, nii-san!"
"So much like Naruto..." Itachi thought. "Even faced with the seemingly impossible, he still says he'll succeed no matter what."
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Renji said, bringing Itachi out of his thoughts. He started digging into his pocket and took out a bag. He held it towards Itachi. "This is for you, Itachi-nii!"
"For me?" Itachi repeated, taking the small bag in his hand. He opened the bag, picking up a piece of the candy. "Confetti candy?"
"Yeah. Rukia shared some with me and I wanted you to have it. You deserve something nice, nii-san. It's the least I could do."
Itachi ruffled Renji's hair, smiling at him. "Thank you, little brother."
