(Book the First) Crimson Light in the Uchiha

Weakness

A few days later

Itachi's POV

Rin has improved a lot, a really suspicious amount. In a span of a few days she had improved her speed accuracy. But lately Rin has been disappearing off to the forest and I could never track where she went. Every time I asked her she just said that she was doing some personal training. Today however, she was training with Sasuke and I, not by herself. Who knows what might happen to her.

Sasuke and Rin stand panting around me in the open courtyard and I straighten, my sharingan activated. "This isn't time to slouch around, you two," I call out, then I take out two kunai, "now... Come at me, spar number one begins now!"

Sasuke leaps at me from above and Rin disappears in a flash. As expected from both of them. I keep my sharingan activated on the look out for Rin as I start off to fight against Sasuke. Suddenly I feel a very slim disturbance in the air around my right ear and I spin to the right with my arms outstretched, one arm held one of Sasuke's arms while the other just managed to push Rin away.

"Very good," I compliment, "try to come at me more aggressively. And Sasuke," I add, "your left side is wide open."

Sasuke crosses his arms and frowns, "I'm trying,"

"That's good then, isn't it?" Rin perks up, "It's important to try."

There goes my one thing that knocks down the pillars that keep my flat composure. I can't help but smile. "That is quite true, Rin, but sometimes success is more needed than effort."

Rin pouts and turns away. I sighed and call out again, "Alright, spar number two, begin!"

The two hurl themselves at me with more aggression like I told them to. I swing out an arm to knock away three kunais that came from Sasuke and I shout out, "Try to come with the intent to draw some blood!"

"What if we don't want to?" whines Rin as she circles me in a blurring whirlwind, as expected of her to complain of such thing. Rin was a little too gentle, but then again, she's only six.

"Then," I say as I knock her aside easily, "you'll get hurt in the real situation. Don't expect me to be gentle with you now," and I throw a kunai at Rin. She dodges it but then I quickly make a hand sign, and I shout out, "Katon Goaukakyuu no jutsu!" A giant fireball erupts from my mouth and I shoot it at Rin. Rin screams and she disappears, whether from fire or from leaping away, I don't know.

Sasuke stops right in front of me but not to attack, his face is contorted with something that looked like shock and childish rage. "Baka!" he screams, "What if Rin is hurt?! Did you even consider that? You're supposed to train us for the real situation that put us in it!"

"It's fine, Onii-san," Rin stands panting behind us, she's smiling as she tightly grips her shoulder, "I dodged it. Nice fireball," she added and I smiled.

"Take your hand off, Rin!" orders Sasuke.

Rin frowns, "It's fine, just forget it."

"Show me!" shouts Sasuke and he yanks Rin's hand off her shoulder. Sasuke stares for a moment before storming back at me, "Baka Onii-san!" he actually yells, "Rin is burnt! How could you be so careless, or did you actually not give a crap about what would happen to Rin? Do you care?!"

Of course I care Sasuke, but my 'caring' may be different. I sigh and say coolly, "If she is smiling then she is fine." I ignore Sasuke's scowl and I shake my head. So now you're not even on my side anymore, Sasuke? I already have the elders of Konoha and Sandaime pressuring me in my double agent role against father, but then father too, he too presses me to leak information from the Leaf. And now I have Sasuke who also seems to ask of things from me. Can this clan and village not get any stronger? They'll break each other apart by putting spies against each other. I glance at Rin who's eyes seem to never accuse me. All they are are wide windows of her... Innocence and character. Rin is too easy to read. "You won't be able to train today," I call out to Rin, "maybe tomorrow. Sorry about my Goukakyuu."