A loud knock on my bedroom door awakens me from a light, dreamless sleep. I open my eyes and look at the old clock on the wall. It's 6:30 am-- Madara must want me to do early sword training. I sigh and get out of bed.

I go over to my closet and get my armor and sword. As I put on my undershirt, I pause and feel the fabric against my skin. Its rough and thick, a feeling I'll never get comfortable with but have grown used to. I put on my armor, feeling the weight of it on my shoulders, and I strap on my sword against my back.

I open my door to see a fellow Uchiha member. I greet him with a quick nod and then push past him. I walk down the short flight of stairs and greet Madara in the kitchen with a respectful bow.

Some other Uchiha members are eating breakfast quietly in the kitchen. All the highly skilled assassins live together in a large home because Madara insisted it. I guess he wants to train us "properly" even though we already got basic training at the sword academy in the capital. Ah, the racist capital that has never recruited an Uchiha to fight for them.

I grab a few grain crackers and sit down at the table, across from Madara.

"I'm assuming you want me to do an hour of sword training?" I say.

Madara coughs a bit and then looks me in the eye. "Yes. I want you to sharpen up your skills for a top tier assignment that I'm assigning you."

I perk my eyes up in excitement. Top tier assignment? They are usually very dangerous and difficult-- they require lots of skill. I haven't been assigned one until now.

"Ahh. I see that you're finally recognizing my skill," I tell him.

"Shhh," he snaps. He motions with his head at the other clan members. I look with the corner of my eye at them. They seem to just be chatting away, not listening to us.

Madara continues speaking. "Don't talk about it so loudly in front of the other members. Now go get started on your training."

I nod with understanding and quickly finish my breakfast.

I head out to the outside training area, excited to train for once. It's a beautiful spring day, the air is sweet and fresh. I walk over to the Sakura tree that's in the middle of the training grounds and watch as the pink petals fall slowly to the ground. The tree reminds me of the same tree that me and Kakashi trained under when we were kids...

"Hey, Obito!" I hear him call.

I cringe at the shrillness of his voice. He can yell really loud sometimes. He always seems to scream my name in a condescending way, but that's just his way of getting me to work harder.

I keep my back turned toward him, busy watching the cherry petals fall. They are very pretty and interesting to look at, but what I'm actually doing is an act. We've been practicing with our katana for over two hours already and I need a break.

I turn to look at him and I show him the most exhausted look I can pull off.

"Kakashi, can't we just take a tiny little break? I'm freaking exhausted." I say to him.

Kakashi just looks at me, arching his eyebrow unimpressed. He's totally not falling for it. Damn, he knows me too well.

I shrug."Well it was worth a shot," I say.

"Tsk tsk, Obito. When are you going to learn that getting better at sword fighting actually takes real effort?" He sounds stern, but I can tell he's hiding a smile behind that mask of his.

I can't help it when a grin forms on my face too. "Easy for you to say. You're always good at everything."

I see his eyes twinkle and I know he's smiling for real.

Kakashi Hatake. My best and only friend growing up. It took us a while to become friends, mostly because he used to be such an arrogant know-it-all. Plus he's usually quiet and reserved. He hates talking to people when he doesn't need to.

But over time, we became friends.

We were both kind of loners. Him being alone because he didn't like talking to people. Me being alone because my family didn't think I was worth anything. What good is a boy with no talent at sword fighting to a family of assassins?

Not that anyone in the village knew they were assassins. But anyway...

One day, I was headed to my favorite spot in the village. Under the Sakura Blossom tree on the hill outside the walls. I heard someone there, which is annoying-- It was my spot.

As I got closer, I saw it was Kakashi practicing with a katana. And he was... magnificent.

I watched him. His feet moved in agile practiced steps as he swung his katana around in graceful even movements. I was in awe. Seriously, I've never seen someone his age move with a sword that well. Not even my own family.

"Woaahh..." was the word that escapes out of my mouth. I instantly cover my mouth with my hands.

Kakashi must've heard it because he stopped. He turns around and sees me.

"Shit." I gasp. I look around frantically for a hiding spot. I must've looked like an idiot.

"Were you spying on me." He says.

"No, I swear." I say, panicking.

His eyes narrow at me, trying to figure me out.

"You are in my spot!" I yell.

"Your spot?!" He sneers.

"Yea! This is my spot to think!"

"Well, this is my spot to practice."

"Well...," I say, but I couldn't figure out what to say next. Why can't I think of a comeback?

A few seconds go by and he starts smirking. I feel my face turn red.

"What are you smirking at???" I yell.

He laughs and says "I win."

I glare at him and begin to stutter. "Wh-What do you mean you win?"

He laughs at my response. "I win the argument, idiot."

My face grows hot with embarrassment.

"Anyways," Kakashi asks, his voice full of curiosity. "What are you doing here in the first place?"

I walk closer and lean against the trunk of the cherry tree. "Well like I said, I came here to think. But then I saw you practicing. I gotta say, I'm quite impressed."

He stares at me for a bit and then a genuine smile appears on his face, even with his mask on.

"Thanks for the praise, I rarely get any."

I straighten up a bit and look at him with shock. "What?!? But you're so talented. Like seriously, you're better than most of my family members and they are older and have more experience than you."

He looks at the ground and rubs the back of his neck. "Well, my family puts a lot of pressure on me. They expect me to be the best and get recruited by the capital. It's their dream. So I never get praise from them because they expect me to be amazing." He looks up and makes eye contact with me. I can see hurt and pain in his eyes. Suddenly I feel really bad, I really want to comfort him.

"Well you're not alone. I never get praise either since I'm a worthless piece of trash to my family. They expect me to be a genius with a sword, just like my cousins. But it's hard."

There's even more pain in his eyes after he hears my words. Wow, I didn't know he cared so much about me. I thought he was just a stuck-up show off, that is occasionally nice.

"Well," he says, "I can teach you how to use a sword properly."

I stare at Kakashi astonished. Then a bright smile grows on my face. "Really? You'll do that?"

"Of course," he says. He then smiles at me in a way I'll never forget. "Anything for my best friend."

At that moment, I knew Kakashi was something else. He was special. He was the first person to care about me.

He leads me into a more open area and begins to explain the basics of using a sword. "You hold a Katana like this."

I copy his movements and listen to his instructions and tips.

He was really helpful. After Kakashi taught me how to use a sword, we always trained and fought together under that cherry tree. I cherished it. Those times we fought together under that tree were the best moments of my life. And after each practice, I would always have butterflies in my stomach. We also started to hang out a lot more and we did things that best friends do together.

Because of those moments together, I made it my goal to become an amazing sword fighter. I really, really wanted to get recruited by the capital. I wanted to be with Kakashi and fight alongside him. I already knew he was going to get recruited due to his skill and talent, but I was unsure of my own abilities.

So, I trained hard. Really hard. I trained with Kakashi the whole day, and then when I got home, I trained for hours. I barely got any sleep. But it wasn't enough.

On the last day of school at the academy, Kakashi got a special letter. I thought it was just an ordinary letter, but it wasn't. It was a letter stating that he had been recruited by the capital.

After class, he came up to me all excited and told me about it. I was heartbroken because I hadn't gotten a letter. He tried to comfort me when I told him that I didn't get recruited, but I went home in tears. When I got home, my parents explained to me why I hadn't got recruited. They told me that the capital has a grudge against the Uchiha clan, and that our family is a group of dark assassins.

After that moment, it all made sense to me why my family wanted me to be great. They wanted me to be able to kill effortlessly. But I already started developing feelings for Kakashi, which made the situation worse. I knew he would be working for the capital and my family hates them. I knew I wouldn't be able to spend time with him anymore.

A gust of wind brings me back to reality.

I watch as the wind rustles amongst the blossoms of the tree. I spin in the air, whipping my katana in a wide arch, and letting my legs kick at the air with the follow through. Its a move that took years to perfect. No one in my family can do it, only me. Its something I learned from Kakashi.

I land in a crouch and spring back up in a graceful fluid motion.

It's been years since Kakashi left and I haven't seen him since. At first it was painful, I got used to seeing him everyday, practicing alongside him. And my feelings for him haven't gone away, as I hoped they would.

You see, having feelings and emotions are forbidden for assassins, especially the Uchiha. We're not allowed to feel love, or care about others outside of our family. Such things are dangerous. So I had to learn to mask my feelings and turn my heart into stone. Only emptiness in my heart can remain. As long as I hide my feelings, I can be a strong assassin.

I whip my sword down in a final wave and I bring it back into its sheath. I look up at the Sakura Tree one last time, and I head back to the Uchiha compound.

It's early afternoon by the time I get back. I see an Uchiha clan member awaiting me at the gate. He's looking at me in studying fashion, sizing me up. Such a thing is typical for us assassins.

"Madara will see you now," he says and he motions with his hand for me to follow him.

We reach Madara's quarters and we head inside. Madara is there standing and looking out the window. He turns to face us and he looks at the other Uchiha. "Please excuse us."

The Uchiha nods his head and leaves. The silence after his leave seems to stretch, getting intense. I stand there waiting to hear what Madara has to say.

After a few quiet moments, Madara turns to look at me. "So we have a top tier assignment for you."

I nod my head. "Yes, what is it?"

"We got some intel saying that the new Emperor will be celebrating his 40th birthday. He'll be outdoors watching a show and there will be a large crowd there with him. It would be the perfect opportunity to blend into the crowd and infiltrate the palace."

I nod my head again, digesting the information. "I understand. I'll do it."

"There is one problem..." Madara says.

I look up and I see his face is tense.

"The emperor has a new bodyguard. Someone we don't know anything about. He always wears a white dog mask with red lines along the side."

"I see." I say. New bodyguard? That might be a problem.

Madara continues. "The mission will be tough. There are moving parts in this plan that may be something to worry about, but this is an opportunity we can't miss."

"I understand, sir."

"This is your chance to prove yourself," says Madara. "Don't make me regret it."

I nod my head and make a respectful bow. Then I turn to leave and exit the room.