Hello everyone! I will start out by saying that I'm very glad you are here! These next few bolded paragraphs are veryIMPORTANTso I ask that you take a moment to read them!
This story will be mainly reflecting on the character of Uchiha Itachi, whom I believe to be the most well developed and tragic character in the series, and an original character I created as his daughter Uchiha Tsubaki. Now, I am trying to be as accurate to the story as possible and just add this story into the already existing one. And to do that, I will be using some already existing plot holes, and I will have to slightly alter the timelines and ages of the characters to make everything fit.
If me manipulating these things to fit bothers you, then click away my dearest children!
Now to fit everything I'm pushing some dates around so pay attention! We know that Itachi left the leaf village at the age of 13 following the assassination of his clan. After that 5 years pass before the actual beginning of the Naruto story. I am pushing that back by one year. Meaning that at the beginning of the year in which Naruto's story begins, Itachi is 18 turning 19 in June of that year and Sasuke is 13 turning 14 with the rest of the academy graduates. I will not tell you quite yet why I need that year I just do. Then, we know that 2 and a half years separate the events of the first part and the second part. I am pushing that back by 2 years. That would mean that when he dies, Itachi will be 25. And the other characters ages will be altered accordingly. Everything else stays the same there is just a greater amount of time between big events. I always thought things escalated way too quickly anyway. And I needed the time for this story to work lol.
Now! Onto my OC. And no need to worry everyone, like I said I am doing my best to make everything seem feasible in the actual perimeters of the story. This won't be one of those perfect 'Mary Sue' self-insert type characters. Given, she is a character I created to roleplay with, and yes, like Itachi was, she's a bit of a prodigy at first, but my roleplay partners and I always want things to fit perfectly within the actual story. Anyway she isn't godlike at all and she definitely isn't perfect. I don't want to spoil things so I'll leave it at that!
If these things confused anyone I will be happy to explain further, just pm me!
This story actually begins within the Boruto time following the arc with Uchiha Shin, but as I said, one of the purposes of this story is to explore Itachi's character so obviously there will be a LOT of flashbacking. I will label all the flashbacks though so no need to fear there! My time fiddling will not affect the ages of the next generation only the years of their birth have been changed. They are all still 12 here. However, given the 3 years I added to the Naruto story the ages of the original Naruto characters are accordingly altered making Naruto and his generation roughly 35-36.
One last thing, I am very very American. Which means that I speak English and I don't know very much about Japanese. Or the suffixes that are used at the end of names in Japan. So for the sake of not butchering them and offending others, I am just gonna leave those out...
Again pm me if you get confused, because some of the things in this story may get a bit confusing, and I will be happy to clear things up!
I don't own Naruto and I am not doing this for money!
Naruto's pov
I sighed for what must have been the hundredth time that hour. I love being Hokage, but I seriously hate paperwork. I move on to the next sheet in the truly impressive mountain just as Shikamaru enters my office.
I audibly groan assuming he has brought me more work.
"Don't make that sound it's not more paperwork this time." He says with an air of bemusement.
"Really? Well then what is it?" I say perking up immediately.
Shikamaru rolls his eyes and gives me a small capsule from a carrier bird, "A message. From Sasuke I assume. It says it's urgent."
I warily open the message and feel my body tense at the words.
"What is it?" Shikamaru asks quietly.
"He has heard word of someone else possessing the sharingan. He was heading to investigate when he sent this message. He thinks it may be connected to Shin." I answer in a low voice.
Shikamaru's eyes widen, "What? Are you serious? I thought that Shin guy had been taken care of..."
"So did I. I'm gonna need you to take care of things here for a day or two. He's included a meeting point here. He must need back up. I'll leave a clone too." I say as I stand from my work.
"Of course. Be careful." He says.
I smile and wave at him as I leap out of the window to help my best friend.
Sasuke's pov
As I wait in an abandoned cabin for the dobe, I ponder what this could mean. Shin and his 'sons' had been a shock, but it was nowhere near the randomness of this new lead. They call him a 'red eyed beast' in the small poor village where I heard the rumor and they definitely were less than fond of whoever it was. Uchiha were met with respect but also suspicion at best so that doesn't surprise me, and it was not really uncommon to hear rumors about supposed sharingan users when really, they were elaborate fakers or the like. What did bother me were the reports that those who went up the mountain to try and confront him, came back lethargic and nearly unreachable and with all of their memories of the place erased except for the memory of glowing red eyes.
There were few things that description would fit, and none of them were good. Most likely of all of those things was that this person not only possessed the sharingan, but had also awakened a mangekyou sharingan as well and could use some kind of genjutsu akin to the Tsukuyomi. That alone would be cause for worry, excepting all the other very strange things that have happened here.
My thoughts were cut short when I heard the thump of someone arriving outside. After casting my senses out and confirming it was the man I was waiting for I rise from my spot and step out to meet him.
"Hey Sasuke. Heard you may need an extra hand... Get it? 'Cause you only got one?" he says wearing his ridiculously wide grin.
I can't help but smile a little. I've missed him despite myself and I almost find myself wishing Sarada had followed him again.
"Very funny. You sure no children followed you this time?" I say.
"Yup I'm sure. Where is this guy anyway?" He says taking on a more serious tone.
I raise my arm and point towards the mountain, "There if the accounts from the villagers are to be believed."
"What do you know about him?" Naruto asks with a head tilt.
"Hn. Not much. He is quite adept at hiding so it seems, but he most likely has a mangekyou sharingan and he uses some form of extremely potent genjutsu to keep people off the mountain. We will have to stay on guard." I reply.
"Let's get going, tell me everything on the way." he says.
I nod and take off in the direction the villagers had told me. My explanation leaves Naruto just as confused and concerned as I am.
"You don't think that guy could be using Tsukuyomi do you?" He says as we leap through the trees.
I shrug, "It isn't impossible given the descriptions I have heard. I have never heard of that inducing amnesia before though. Just be cautious and whatever you do, don't look into his eyes."
We came to a stop just before the tree line opened up into a broad clearing and hid in the shadows. I cast out my senses and find one notable chakra. It doesn't seem to be threatening in fact is one of the most calm that I have felt. Naruto and I glance at each other having both picked up on the same thing and both of us are equally perplexed by it.
I cautiously scan the area with my sharingan to pinpoint the source of the energy but there is some kind of strange mist of chakra over the whole place and it prevents me from being able to lock-on to the oddly familiar sensation of the person's chakra.
"That will not assist you in finding me." says a soft and serene woman's voice from behind us.
Both Naruto and I jump and spin around assuming attack positions.
"The sharingan that is. The moon flowers have their own chakra and they release it into the air around this place at a steady rate rendering those eyes of yours fairly useless for searching purposes." she continues.
She is sitting on a tree branch with a passive look as she stares down at us. She looks quite young, she can't be much older than Sarada, and she has long silky midnight black hair most of which is pulled back into a high ponytail save her long bangs that fall just past her shoulder on her right side halfway covering one of her obsidian black eyes. In the center of her forehead was a black crescent moon symbol.
"Wha- What the hell are you doing here?!" Naruto screeches unintelligently.
She regards him as if he is particularly slow, "I live here. A much better question is why you people cannot simply leave me alone."
I growl, "We are searching for someone called the red eyed beast. Where is he?"
"He huh? You assume that the beast is a he. Are you sexist or daft?" She says with an unchanging tone. There is something incredibly familiar about her but what?
"Are you this beast then?" I demand lowly.
"No." she replies.
Naruto steps forward once, "Don't play games with us. Just tell us what we want to know. We aren't here to hurt you."
"I am not playing games. You asked me if I was the one known as the Red Eyed Beast and I am not. I believe I have been more than fair considering that you two are the trespassers here." she says in that unwavering serene voice with those calm, self-assured eyes. Why is this girl so familiar?
"Just tell us who this beast is. And why they have eyes like mine." I say.
"Those two things are completely unrelated. The Red Eyed Beast is dead. If you have come in search of her you will be disappointed. That name was one the ever pleasant people in the village below forced upon my mother. You are mistaken to think she possessed the sharingan. They called her that because she had a genetic disorder that made her skin as white as snow but her eyes as red as blood. The beast part referred to her ability to phase between human and animal. It was the way she was but they hated her for it just as they hate me. If you have come in search of one who bares the eyes of your clan however," she said as she blinked and revealed her sharingan, "than look no farther for here she sits, Uchiha Sasuke. Now I will ask a question. What exactly is it that you have come for? I will defend myself and my mother's legacy if you attack, no matter how futile it would be."
Naruto gives me a look as I step forward, sword raised, "I have come for the damn truth. Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"The truth… are you sure that is what you want?" she asks as she regards me with her serene red eyes. So incredibly familiar...
"Get down here and answer my questions damn you!" I demand leveling my sword at her. Naruto puts a hand on my shoulder which I promptly shrug off.
She sighs and slides gracefully off the tree branch landing perfectly on her feet, "I simply guessed your name. It was not exactly hard to do, there are not many Uchiha left. As for my name, it is Uchiha Tsubaki."
My eyes widen as I suddenly have a flash from my past.
...
I remembered peeking around the hall looking for my big brother, only a few days before he carried out that bloody mission, and seeing him with our mother. I was about to run to him and ask him to train me when I heard what they were talking about and curiously decided to listen.
"I never see you with any nice girls, Itachi. You'll never have any children at this rate!" my mother said to him in a half joking tone.
My brother just chuckled, "Am I not a bit young to be thinking of children, mother?"
"Well maybe a little," she conceded, "but if you were, would you want a boy or a girl?"
Itachi just smiled, knowing that she was playing with him but he still went along with it, "A girl."
"A girl? That's a little surprising. Why a girl?" Mother asked genuinely curious.
"I don't know... It is just if I picture myself with a child of my own, I see a little girl." he said in an almost wistful tone.
"Aha! So you have been thinking of kids. At least a little." she said with a triumphant giggle.
My brother's tone took on a tinge of sadness but at the time, I didn't have a clue why, "Maybe I have allowed myself to daydream about having a family of my own someday..."
"It isn't like that's impossible Itachi," mother said unknowingly, "Well don't hold out, what would her name be?"
"Her name?" he repeated to himself, "I would name her after a flower I think... Tsubaki would be a nice name."
...
"No that isn't possible," I mumble shaken by the similarities between her and my brother that now stood out tenfold.
"You say that, yet it does not negate the fact that I stand before you existing does it?" she said.
I scowl at her refusing to believe a word of it, "If you truly gained those eyes by blood that who were your parents?"
"My mother's name was Okami Aya and my Father's name was Uchiha Itachi." she states simply.
I hear Naruto's exclamation of shock from behind me but I'm too consumed by my own emotions to truly acknowledge him. I have so many emotions swelling within that I can't react to them. I settle on anger and denial.
"You're lying! You are too young to have even met my brother much less be his child! Don't try and make a fool of me!" I shout.
"I have no reason to lie. He is my father and I have earned the right to say so! If you are not going to use your eyes then I shall just have to make you see through mine!" She growled out, which is a startling change in her previously serene tone.
Before Naruto or I can respond, the moon symbol on her forehead glows harshly and the world seems to melt away...
...
When I regained awareness I was standing beside Naruto in the same place as before. But it was different... it seemed brighter somehow. Or mistier...
I glance at Naruto who looks just as confused as me then look around for the girl.
"Where did she go? What did she do to us?" I ask.
"How am I supposed to know? Genjutsu?" He replies.
"Yes and no. I drug you into my mindscape." Said the same serene voice from before, "So that I could show you memories. Some of them are mine and some are my mother's. And a few are my father's as well but very few. It is the story of my parent's short love, my birth, and some of my childhood. Maybe after this you'll believe me."
I glare at her a moment before movement draws my attention away from her and to none other but my late older brother, "I-Itachi?!"
"He can't hear you. This is just a memory. Be quiet and watch." She snipped.
I growl but settle down and watch the scene play out.
He doesn't seem to be in any sort of hurry and his shark like partner is nowhere to be found. Grief that I never really dealt with settles in my chest as I watch him. Naruto once again places a hand on my shoulder and this time I accept my friend's comfort and place my hand over his.
Itachi stops and looks back, "You can come out." His deep voice says.
"Rats. I thought I could hide long enough to catch you in my genjutsu." Says a rough but obviously female voice as she hops down form a tree. This woman is physically similar to the Tsubaki girl but she is taller with pure white hair and blood red eyes. She wears a simple pink kimono tied together with a crimson ribbon.
"Genjutsu does not work on me. What is it that you want," my brother says turning to her to reveal his sharingan.
"Well this is my territory after all. I simply wished to know who was trespassing. Unfortunately, we have come to an impasse. I can see from your eyes that you must be an Uchiha. Which means you also must be Uchiha Itachi. If you have come here to harm this place or the flowers that grow here then be prepared to kill me. I know I cannot defeat you, but I will defend my mother's legacy with my life." She said in casual tone as if commenting on the weather.
I squint at the similarities between her words and Tsubaki's from before then refocus on the memory.
"I mean no harm to this place or to you." He says simply.
"Oh thank kami! You scared me there!" The woman says with a slight smile, "In that case I'm Aya. I apologize sincerely for my rude behavior, but many people come here for less than honorable reasons and I am the only remaining guardian. I must always be poised to defend."
Itachi nods his acknowledgment, "Aya... Are you the witch rumored to live in these mountains?"
"Well that's what everyone calls me sure. I am no witch though. I'm a healer. Have you come seeking my services then?" She asks cocking her head to the side curiously.
Itachi nods once more, "I have a... Disease I believe. I was wondering is you could cure it. Your abilities are well known around this place though from the 'Beast' names they call you I can tell you aren't very well liked..."
"That comes with the clan I'm afraid," she says with a sigh, "One bad apple spoils the bunch as they say. Anyway, come with me and let's see about this disease of yours."
The memory changes and suddenly we are standing inside a cottage watching a new scene.
The healer bustles around the surprisingly large space gathering material and my brother watches her from where he kneels on a blanket with an unreadable look.
"What did you mean earlier?" He asks suddenly.
"Hmm? Mean by what?" She replies not looking away from her work.
"When you said that the villager's distrust of you 'comes with the clan' what did you mean?" He says more clearly.
She briefly pauses and regards him for a moment before returning to her work, "Well I don't normally use my clan name, but it is Okami. It isn't much of a clan anymore, I'm the only one left living, but back in their day the Okami clan was known throughout this small country side as healers and shape shifters. We all had the power to shapeshift into an animal form you see. Most of my clan we're a peaceful lot and we enjoyed staying in our small mountainside homes and bringing healing to those around us. But like I said, a few bad apples spoil the bunch... A few of our members became restless in their position and strive to move away from the countryside community where we were all raised. They became corrupted and greedy and thought only of themselves. They were intentionally cruel to villagers and ransacked a lot of the little villages around here. Eventually all the people came to hate my clan even though the majority of us were peaceful..."
As she explains she brings all the stuff she had gathered and sits beside Itachi with it.
"Hn" he said.
"Take off your cloak please." She says. When he complies she continues, "I'll have to examine you now to see what you have. I'll have to touch you, but I won't do so more than necessary and I promise not to hurt you in any way. Is that alright?"
He nods, "It's fine."
She then begins checking him over, "Describe your symptoms for me."
"I have trouble breathing, my chakra reserves seem to be depleting bit by bit, there is a troublesome pain in my left shoulder that started out manageable but now is intense enough to interfere with missions, I have occasional dizzy spells, and bad headaches." Itachi lists off though his voice sounds unconcerned as it normally did.
"Mm." She says thoughtfully as she continues looking him over. She puts an ear to his chest, "take deep breaths."
She listens to him breathe for a moment before pulling back and slowly and gently rubbing his neck right under his chin.
"How long have you been sick?" She asks.
"I have had small symptoms since I was very young but they have only become troublesome in the past three years or so." He say thoughtfully.
She looks at him oddly, "And how old are you?"
"I'm sixteen."
"You... You're only sixteen?!" She asks out of shock.
He nods once.
"That explains it then. I know what you have, but I can't cure it. It is the same disease that killed my father. As far as I know, it's nameless, but we always called 'lung rot' on account of the fact that it was always the lungs that were attacked most harshly. But the amount of stress you must have been put under for it to be this rampant at your age is phenomenal..." She says softly.
He sighs, "At least you could identify it. No other healer or doctor I've seen has been able to. There is no cure?"
"No. But there is a treatment I can do that will significantly slow the progression of it and prolong your life by a large margin. I can also give you medicine to relieve your pain." She says, "But it's... Complicated."
"How long would I have without it?" He asks.
She runs a hand through her white hair momentarily brushing her bangs out of the way of the black star mark on her forehead in the same place as Tsubaki's crescent moon, "Hard to say. Under normal circumstances with the speed that it has progressed, I'd say a year and a half maybe two years. But your work is dangerous and eventually the symptoms will become enough to impede your ability to perform. You'd be in big trouble then."
He stays in a contemplative silence for a while before responding, "And how long would you be able to stretch my time?"
"Well again it's difficult to say. It has progressed much faster in you than in my father... But I should be able to give you a couple of decades at the least." She says.
"Then I accept." He says with resolve.
She looks up at him with an unreadable look in her eyes, "There is something you need to know before you say that. This treatment isn't like any other that you'd get at a hospital. It involves the nectar of the moon flowers and my family's bloodline limit. It's very complex and it has side effects while I do it. It'll link our minds for a short time while I am using my bloodline limit. And when that happens there is no way to stop us from feeling this or seeing memories from the other. You'll feel some of my emotions and see some of my memories and vice versa."
He looks at the floor and for another long while he doesn't say anything while he thinks, "That is unexpected. But it changes nothing. There is something that I must live to complete and to do that I need your help. No one else has been able to give me treatment."
She sighs and then rises, "alright then. I don't know what you mean exactly but it sounds like you're sure. I'll get everything ready."
The memory changes again and now Itachi is lying unconscious on a bed while the woman sits in a chair watching him silently. He stirs and she rises from her place to remove the cloth from his forehead so he won't knock it off as he sits up.
"How do you feel?" She asks in a hoarse voice.
He regards her with an unreadable gaze, "Better... What exactly happened?"
She sighs, "Well I did tell you it would be a complex treatment. It weakens both the healer and the patient when it's used for a short time. But I can tell your strength is returning. Mine will take a bit longer to recoup but it will eventually."
"That isn't exactly what I meant... I saw..." He trailed off with a distant look.
"That's why this jutsu isn't ideal. You saw little pieces of my life right?" She said knowingly.
He nods shortly and looks out the window beside him, "It was painful..."
"Most people would think twice about sharing another person's thoughts even if it was for the sake of a treatment that could save their life. It is not easy. I have my burdens and you have yours and now to some extent we both bare each other's pain." She says as she takes up a set of needles and begins to work.
"Could you... tell me about it? It would help if I understood what I saw I think..." he asks softly.
"Alright. I suppose I should explain anyway. I told you earlier than my clan name was Okami and I said that people hated my clan because of a few radical members. They called us beasts and treated us as if we were animals simply because we could shapeshift into animal forms. Hatred is a very powerful thing. My clan was a very peaceful one for the most part. We were healers not warriors. In fact, many of us didn't even have combat related gifts and those that did were most gifted in genjutsu. You see, all of us had two Marks on our bodies. The first with which we are born is the celestial Mark," at this she moves her bangs and exposes the star on her forehead, "It would appear as either a Star, a Moon, a Sun, or one of the nine planetary symbols. Most commonly, we had the symbol of the Earth, or the symbol of the Star, like mine. Our abilities differed depending on our celestial Mark. The strongest of us bore the Sun or the Moon but they were exceptionally few. The other Mark was a beast Mark," Here she pulled the neckline of her kimono down just enough to expose a little green tattoo like symbol in the shape of a salamander, "this one was one we had to awaken later in life, much like your sharingan. The process for awakening it was quite different, but it was a similar concept in that the awakening of the second Mark was tied to emotions. The point is that most of my clan had common healer's celestial Marks and an animal form that was rather harmless as I do. And we were happy. But the villagers below called us beasts, witches, and insisted that we did insane bloody rituals with human sacrifices and the like. They distrusted us and that distrust grew to hatred which grew to genocide. My clan, even the defenseless, the innocent who were only healers and who would only be healers, all of them were rounded up and burned alive, one by one. Including my mother, and my older sister both who had the Mark of the Sun and tried to defend our home. I was too cowardly to help them. And my father had already succumbed to the disease by that point. If I had just done something..." She trails off and pauses her knitting to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
Itachi stays silent through her entire account and when he finally looks back at her there is unmistakable sadness in his eyes, "Forgive me. I should not have asked."
"No no. It's fine. It feels nice to have someone to talk to about it for once. Ever since they died, I have been alone besides the few people who try to attack me." She says waving her hand in dismissal.
"Hn." Itachi says softly in reply, "you have told me quite a lot. And you healed me without question. Even though you must have known who I am and what I've done. Not to mention who I currently work for... Why would you lay so much faith in me?" He says thoughtfully.
"Because," she says in a quiet voice, "because I could tell when I saw you that you and I weren't all that different deep down. Because no matter who you are or what you have had to do, you're still a person and you deserve a little compassion. Because no matter friend or foe, I am a healer and you needed healing. Because I have been alone for so long and you looked a little lonely and lost too. But mostly because... I don't judge people based on the assumptions of others. I draw my own conclusions about people. And I don't think you're a bloodthirsty sociopath like everyone says. I think you're actually a kind person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And if you'd let me in... I'd like to get to know you better"
Itachi looks down and his bangs fall in front of his eyes, shielding them from view. They do not, however, keep the single tear track that runs down his face from being visible.
"If that's what you want... Promise that you will keep whatever secrets I tell you." He says softly.
"Of course. Nothing you choose to share with me leaves here. You have my word." She says with a bright smile.
He tells her everything. The whole truth. And his story keeps them both up long into the night, though neither of them seem to care. His opening up shocks me at first, but then I think of how talkative he has been with her from the start, when normally he would have only spoken when she asked him a question about his health. My paranoid older brother's walls were down from the very beginning. Somehow, it made me feel a great deal better to think he had someone like this woman who he felt at ease with. I look down at the child who still stands beside me in this realm of memory and find that I can no longer doubt what she told me. This is truly my brother's child. But her explanation didn't stop there. She intends for Naruto and me to see the whole truth.
And show us she did.
Lol do you like my cliffy? Really, this chapter just flowed out of me and it was getting really long so I thought, 'You know what? Time for evil.'
Reviews are highly valued.