Title: Persona
Author: DumbAppleG
Beta-ed by: LunaticFringe'sAngel-LA15
Type: One-shot
Word Count: 1404
Summary: The war was over, but Uchiha Sasuke didn't find his life desirable: Memory loss was one problem, having his ancestor inhabiting in his body was another... How could everyone don't see Ōtsutsuki Indra's hypocritical mask? [AU]
Persona
The mask or façade presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment
and not representing the inner personality of the individual.
The war was over, villages were rebuilt, dead were buried, shinobi were returning to their home. Everything seemed normal, just like any other post-war reconstruction...
But Uchiha Sasuke, finally being allowed to resident in Konoha again, found himself losing pieces of his memory.
Memory loss was a nightmare, for one moment, he was sleeping in the Uchiha mansion, the next moment, he would find himself sitting beside a campfire, laying out battle plan with his fellow comrades. Sometimes, he regained his conscious at some random places as if sleeping walking, or simply sat on a tatami reading history books instead of ninjutsu scrolls.
Fortunately, he had never lost his mind during Konoha's surveillances. Moreover, he had his former teammates by his side: Naruto and Sakura. The former had been his old self, hyperactive and whatsoever, the latter... Well, once he thought Sakura would never forgive him, considering what he had done during the war. However, to his secret pleasure, the pinkette still cared for him just as before, not the kind of fan girl craze or puppy love, but soft, gentle and loving. The pinkette was just one of a kind, and Sasuke was glad he found someone competent to be his Uchiha matriarch.
.
"...Are you alright, Sasuke? Sasuke!"
Startled, Uchiha Sasuke managed to keep his face straight while surveying his surrounding subtly, a habit he picked up after the war. Now, he was in a civilian restaurant, with his pink-haired teammate sitting in front him.
Knowing he had once again lost some pieces in his memory, Sasuke cursed under his breathe. He had no idea where the conversation had gone and he didn't even know why he and Sakura were having dinner together, so he decided to change the topic.
"Why, Sakura?" He asked quietly, "Why are you being so nice to me?"
The pinkette merely smiled at him, the same heart-warming smile she had been wearing since their gennin days. "Because you've become a better man, Sasuke. All of us have grown up during the past four years," she replied lightly. "You are more considerate during missions, and you no longer refuse to spar with Naruto and I. You still have a poker face, but you're a gentleman with poker face. And… the flowers! Don't deny it, Ino spilled to me. You are the guy ordering the flowers I receive every week..."
Sasuke was shocked. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall anything Sakura mentioned. Honestly, considerate? A gentleman? Flower delivery? No, any Uchiha in his right mind would not pick up these traits.
It wasn't him. He was not the man Sakura was attracted to. His girl had fallen for a freaking whatever instead! Was it Orochimaru's filthy technique again? Not likely, for Godaime had been watching the Snake Sannin like a hawk since the day Orochimaru returned to Konoha.
More than a little light-headed, Sasuke had no idea how he managed to return to the Uchiha mansion, for there was a thief, a thief stealing the life of Uchiha Sasuke.
His beloved pinkette fell for a thief that stole his body, but Sasuke couldn't stop it.
.
Days went by, the happy willing smiles on Sakura's face making him feel twisted inside. Then, on an ordinary morning, he found himself caged.
He was caged, literally, being trapped in his own mindscape. He tried to break out, but failed pathetically like an academy child, so he just watched.
He watched coldly as the thief put on his clothes and walked out of his home. He watched coldly as the thief walked the streets of Konoha, nodding politely to his fellow comrades. He watched coldly as the thief went to the flower shop and brought a bunch of flowers. And he watched as the thief knocked on Sakura's window and asked her out with his face.
"Sakura, there's something I think you need to know," said the thief. "I am not Sasuke."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'm not Uchiha Sasuke, blossom. His spirit was injured so severely during the fight with Kaguya that he could only slept in his subconscious. That's why I have taken over this body."
"Well, you say you are not Sasuke, but you know how to use Rinnegan and have lots of things in common with the Uchiha Sasuke I know... Are you familiar with DID, I mean, Dissociative Identity Disorder? Stay chill. I am a medic and I am just making an educated guess. There is a good chance for you to be a split personality."
"No, blossom. I am not a production of mental disorder. I am aware of Sasuke-kun's behavior pattern and we are quite different from each other. I am merely a dōjutsu user who comes from ancient time and woke up in this future.
"Sasuke's conscious has been recovering fast. From time to time he probed out and then fell asleep, so I find it necessary to reveal my true identity to who is in charge of this village. And I am telling you first, blossom, because I've fallen for you and I wish your beautiful eyes on me, not the skin I am wearing."
"I, I just... Can I know you name, please?"
"Indra, Ōtsutsuki Indra."
.
Sasuke was furious. Ōtsutsuki Indra was a thief! How dare he tell those lies and show signs of weakness in order to stir Sakura's benevolence? See, with his silver tongue he suggested his sense of guilt and anxiousness just because he had landed in a different epoch and lost his power. And how dare he waltz into the Hokage's office and repeat his lie again? Sasuke's conscious was damaged badly when his chakra was inhabiting, so he managed to use his body to fight off Black Zetsu? This was outrageously ridiculous!
More unpalatably, Godaime and those idiot Konoha-ninja even believed this liar! When Yamanaka Ino used her family technique to peep into his mind plain, his self-proclaimed ancestor just showed her a peacefully sleeping "Sasuke". Foolish woman. Didn't she see the chakra pattern of genjutsu?
So he could only stay there and watch Indra persuade everyone in the Hokage's office to make him a new body, claiming he was more than satisfied with the present shinobi world and would like to exert himself on the position Konohagakure provided him... Why had no one thought of Uchiha Sasuke's feelings and interests?! Fuck the world! They even pointed Sakura as the leader of the research team, just because Indra declared his interest on her!
.
Uchiha Sasuke was brooding, yet another habit he picked up after his so-called ancestor had been removed from his body. He should be glad for no longer suffering from memory lost. But he was unhappy now, being a lone wolf detached from the merry residents in Konoha.
Because Ōtsutsuki Indra had literally taken Sasuke's place in every aspect.
Though waking up in a fresh, untrained body with little chakra-reserve, Indra regained his power quickly and his eyes evolved into Mangekyō Sharingan with tremendous speed. In less than a year, he was also offered a seat on the Konoha Council, though he refused it and nominated dead-last Naruto.
Just like Kakashi and Hyūga Neji, Indra was now an ANBU captain, a position Sasuke would never reach because of his… well, defection several years ago. At the same time, this liar became the honorary advisor of KPSI, also known as Konoha Public Security Installation, which was a newly established organization akin to Konoha Police Force once operated by his family.
Despite his pretentious, unapproachable looks, Indra made friends with his acquaintances. Godaime trusted him, shinobi respected him, villagers revered him, even Orochimaru dared not be irreverent towards the great Ōtsutsuki Indra.
And Indra married his girl, making the ideal Uchiha matriarch and the best kunoichi in the world Ōtsutsuki-Haruno Sakura.
.
Why? Why did fate have to be so mean to Uchiha Sasuke? It took away his brother, wiped out his clan, and distanced his friends. It dumped him in a lair full of snakes and labeled him a traitor to the entire world. It twisted his heart and ruined his happy life. And it allowed someone other than him win Sakura's heart...
Sasuke couldn't understand, why his beloved pinkette would leave him and rest in his ancestor's embrace, smiling.
Author's Note
Many thanks to LunaticFringe'sAngel-LA15 for beta-ing this story and making it more readable.
This one-shot is based on Sasuke's viewpoint, about what will happen if the ancestor Uchiha Clan inhabited in Sasuke's body. I think I made it clear Sasuke had superiority complex and he didn't seem to respect other shinobi in Konoha. He kept telling himself that Indra was a thief who pretended to be a benevolent individual. But in reality, Indra fitted into Konoha and achieved everything Sasuke wanted to achieve when he just sat back and complained... Stop complaining and be a doer, Sasuke-kun.
Please tell me what do you think! Flowers and virtual cookies are also welcome ^_^