Hi everyone,
This is my first attempt at fanfiction, so I know it most likely won't be up to par with the stories I read so often on this site, but please bear with me. I also know that the series of events which unfold in this chapter aren't exactly what happened in the anime or manga, but I guess some originality is always good. This chapter is a prologue of sorts and is written in a different format than the rest of the story will be, this is more of a narrative from a third party point of view and probably won't be too interesting, but it is vital to the story:)
This will eventually become a Hinata/Itachi full-length fanfiction, and there may or may not be some character deaths- but if so, it shouldn't be anyone too prominent to the storyline. Then again, maybe not. :p
I had the random(?) idea to post in every chapter a set of song lyrics which I feel will suit the chapter at hand. If anyone seems to want me to, I can explain why I choose each set of lyrics, but if you know the storyline and character relationships then it shouldn't be a problem.
"We're only taking turns
Holding this world
It's how it's always been
When you're older, you will understand"
-'All At Once'- The Fray
October twelfth did not go as planned for Uchiha Sasuke.
It all started with darkness. As soon as he became aware of the time, Sasuke had been returning home from shiruken training at the Academy with Iruka-sensei and the rest of his classmates. As he tore into the street which the Uchiha Manor resided, however, he felt a brief flash of chakra from behind. Being at the top of his class Sasuke had no issues with detecting individual chakra signatures and therefore spun around to see who was there.
All that met his eyes was a nondescript telephone pole illuminated by the full moon which had long since risen. Sasuke observed the scene in front of him for a few moments longer, hesitating, before continuing along his path to his previous destination- only to be stopped once again.
It was dark.
At this time of the night various members of his clan would still be awake and moving about, either returning home from work, buying last-minute necessities or simply strolling the streets of Konoha, something his mother often did despite his father's objections. Thinking such things brought a brief but intense bout of worry, which Sasuke attempted to tamp down- his clan was small but strong with many members being of jounin status or higher. There was absolutely nothing for him to worry about.
Sasuke took twelve more steps, in the process revealing a scene which was to be forever imprinted into the deepest recesses of the young Uchiha's mind.
Kunai.
Senbon.
Shuriken.
Blood.
...Bodies. Dozens of them.
There was Sasuke's beloved oji and oba, his obaa-san who he had seen early this morning before he left for the academy, wishing him well in his training and chiding him to be safe after seeing the twin bandages which were seemingly permanently bonded to each side of his mouth after practicing katon jutsu out on the dock behind his family's house. There was even the sight of Sasuke's young mei Ketaru, whose sixth birthday had just occurred a few days ago- Sasuke blinked, for he remembered that day well- October sixth, she was running all over
Konoha in oblivious glee and pride in her growth and almost bowling over a member of another prestigious clan, the painfully shy Hyuuga girl who bent herself backwards for the loudmouthed blonde baka, the kyuubi jinchuuriki host. Ketaru, like Sasuke's older itoko Uchiha Shisui, beheld personality traits uncanny to the Uchiha clan- boisterous, outgoing, spontaneous...happy.
A member of the elite clan of Uchiha was never to be happy.
Proudly erect twin slide doors made their way into Sasuke's line of vision as he slowly managed to force his way past his fallen kin to approach his home. As he placed a small, childlike hand on the slide he paused, feeling all his dread and fear resurfacing one thousand fold. Swallowing it down- he was, after all, a ninja- he stepped into his home and was immediately engulfed by a terrible feeling of foreboding. Resisting the urge to whimper or call out directly Sasuke made his way to the kitchen where his kaa-san would always be preparing dinner or baking a treat of sorts, usually for his aniki Itachi. Sasuke himself was never fond of sweets.
His kaa-san wasn't there. There was, however, an unfinished meal cooking on the stovetop- the scent of charred pork wafted through the air and found its way to his nose, and a pot of rice boiled over to make a sticky mess all over the pot, stove and part of the floor. When his kaa-san saw this she would throw a fit; rice was always a pain to clean, she would tell him, and the expensive bamboo flooring covering the entire house would not take well to such a mess0 not like it was the expenses that had to be worried about. Like most oka, his kaa-san prided herself in keeping the proverbial fort clean at all times. It was an ability Sasuke never took any interest in until he realized just how in disarray everything appeared without Mikoto's touch. He could remember numerous occasions when his Kaa-san would scold him for coming into the house all muddy or soaking wet, tracking grime all over the floor and leaving a trail of puddles in his wake. He always told her that he was training and it was very important that he did so at every opportunity in order to one day become a strong and fearless shinobi like Itachi. At this she would shake her head and sigh, then smile and dry him with fluffy navy blue towels, all of which were emblazoned with the Uchiha crest just like the shirt on his back, and his Kaa-san's and Oto-san's and aniki's and every other Uchiha in the village.
Turning away from the scene in haste, the study of his oto was next to inspect. Fugaku could easily be found poring over ancient, yellowed scrolls pertaining to the laws and politics of Konoha, forever trying to find a way to bring the Uchiha clan to eternal fame and power. Sasuke had no real opinion in the matter, but he knew for a hardened fact that no matter how cold and emotionless his elder aniki seemed- he despised their father's idealism. Even in his young age of eight, he was more than aware that Itachi was a boy...man...whatever, who appreciated peace above everything else. Hopefully Itachi was faring well under his oto's constant pressure to train whenever possible and make it into ANBU Root. In Fugaku's words, 'As my son, Itachi will become nothing but the best of the best, or my son is not my son."
Mikoto really went at him for that.
Upon seeing the study was also devoid of any human life Sasuke retreated to the dining room, seeing it was empty as well- at this point Sasuke remembered his newfound capabilities as a ninja which included being able to expand his chakra over a distance to test the area around him for the presences of other nin. Doing so he noted in silent despair that the entire mansion was empty...with the exception of a solitary chakra signature in the next building over from the main house.
Sasuke ran along the bamboo deck leading from the main house to any of the other rooms nearby. Stopping at one of many doors which he deduced to be the one with the mystery signature floating behind it he reached up to pull aside the shoji screen. Forcing his feet to move forward, he reached over once again, this time succeeding in sliding the screen over to the right.
Two lifeless bodies lay on the floor. A solitary body stood before them, their face cast in shadows.
"O-Oto...Kaa-san!" Sasuke whispered at first then started screaming at the unholy sight that befell him. Breath started coming quicker to him and in no time at all young Sasuke was gasping for air as his eyes desperately scanned the profile of his parents, not yet developed enough to initiate the sharingan.
"Kaa-san!"
Blinded by rage at the nameless person who stole his parents away, Sasuke ran forward faster than ever before with a fist raised beside his head of spiky ink black hair, intent on striking. When he came to a few feet away a booted leg came out from the surrounding darkness and kicked him straight in the chest, sending him backwards with the force of something incredible. Sasuke landed on the floor on the other side of the room with a small shout, wheezing, trying to get some air back in his lungs. After that had been accomplished he slowly got back to his feet, swaying slightly before regaining his composure. He glared into the darkness before him where he estimated the mystery person's head to be.
"Step away from my Kaa-san, or I will make you."
Silence. Then came a voice, one so familiar, one he had heard his entire life.
"Foolish little brother. You are incapable."
Ice crystals formed within Sasuke's veins.
"...A-aniki?"
His answer was the instantaneous illumination of the dark, a twin pair of painstakingly familiar sharingan which Sasuke had witnessed on numerous occasions.
"Aniki, who did this to Kaa-san and Oto-san? They need help!"
Itachi's sharingan swirled into a new form, a design Sasuke had never witnessed but heard many rumours of- the mangekyo sharingan.
"There is too late for them now."
"Nande..? Nani? Kaa-san and Oto-san were just fine this morning, what went wrong?"
Itachi's left hand, previously hidden in shadows, lifted above his head and behind his back- his prized katana in its grip. The grating sound of metal on metal met Sasuke's sensitive ears as his weapon slid into its sheath. His aniki's face remained as impassive as ever but it was all in the eyes- an impenetrable mask of ice and neutrality. Sharingan enhanced eyes never left Sasuke's face and he looked away from feeling uncomfortable- only to witness a lone trail of blood carving its path along the floor- blood of both his parents intermingled. Blood that will never again be warm with life, blood that will never be pumped by a heart ever again. Sasuke could feel pressure building up inside of him like a balloon about to burst. Eventually, he exploded.
"It was you? How could you do this to them? Kaa-san didn't deserve any of this! Neither did Oto-san! The most they ever did was want the best for you! Oto-san had you train long and hard so that you could become a shinobi worthy of honour and respect! Kaa-san spent half the day making your favourite meal because she knew you would be deployed on a two month long mission tomorrow!
Sasuke watched as Itachi reached into a small bag strapped onto the back of his pants via a belt- Sasuke recognized it as a standard shiruken pouch. Before he could blink, he heard the small death trap of metal embed itself in the wall directly behind him to his left. A second later pain engulfed his left shoulder as blood began to leave his system in short bursts. A small hand clamped itself over the wounded area in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. All at once the realization of what had happened to his entire family- by the member of his family he cherished the most- Sasuke broke. All the fear he had been feeling for the last ten minutes forced itself to the surface and Sasuke stared at his aniki, now a stranger.
"Why did you do it?" Sasuke's voice was small and timid, that of a lost child. Itachi regarded his brother almost disinterestedly before responding at length.
"I wished to test my limits and further myself as a shinobi."
Sasuke blinked.
"That...that's it? That's all their lives meant to you? Were they really so worthless?"
A brief pause. Then:
"Hai."
Sasuke fell to his knees and wept. His Kaa-san, he would never see again, tending to his training injuries and supporting him no matter what, even going so far as to make his favourite special sushi once a week as a surprise and praise that she was so very proud of her youngest son. Oto-san who would never ask him about training at the academy or teach him another katon jutsu to further his ninjutsu arsenal. Itachi... well, he was alive, but Sasuke, as far as he was concerned, no longer had a brother either. He died when a monster overtook his conscious and caused him to murder his entire family in cold blood.
Avengement.
Sasuke brushed that thought aside as quickly as it came. How could he possibly defeat the notorious prodigy Uchiha Itachi, heir and the best of his league? That was just it, he couldn't, there was no way. Just then he noted Itachi was slowly making his way closer towards where he was crouched in a corner grieving for lost loved ones. Primal instinct and fear took over and Sasuke scrambled up in a hurry, racing out the door and down the street as fast as he possibly could.
"Please, don't kill me! I don't want to die!"
A swirl of leaves appeared fifty feet or so in front of Sasuke, quickly turning into a whirlwind which revealed Itachi. Sasuke skidded to a halt ten feet in front of his brother, swallowing quite nervously and glancing about for an alternate escape route. When he saw nothing useful he turned his eyes back towards his brother once again.
"You are not worthy of killing."
Sasuke didn't know if that was meant as a compliment or an insult, but held his tongue just the same.
"If you wish for revenge, then stay in this pathetic village. Grow strong and grow to hate me with every fibre of your being. Only then will you have any chance of defeating me."
In front of his older aniki Sasuke watched as he turned around to observe the night sky. A minute later he turned back to look his brother in the eye, his eyes once again glowing an ethereal shade of crimson with the most peculiar design.
"Come face me when you have attained these same eyes I bear now. Only then will we be on equal grounds."
He kept staring at Itachi, speechless and dumbfounded.
Itachi regarded Sasuke once again. "There is, however, a slight catch. Before you attain the mangekyo sharingan, you must first kill your closest friend. That is the only way you will come to exact your revenge. Until then, foolish little brother, hone your skills and prepare for the day when it will come. Farewell."
With that, Itachi turned away once again and this time started walking towards the road which led out of Konoha. He didn't stop or look back even once, but kept steady on his path. In a matter of minutes he was completely out of sight. It was only then that Sasuke truly felt alone. Kaa-san, Oto-san, Shisui-san, Ketaru-chan...none of them were ever going to come back home. Sasuke was the only one left.
From now on, everything Sasuke would do would be going towards Itachi's demise. And he would let nothing stand in his way.
So, here's the prologue. What do you guys think of it so far? Everyone is welcome to message me or comment and let me know how you guys like it, or if there's something you think I should change, or even if any of you have any ideas for something that could happen in the future of this story. I'd love to hear your input.
Thanks for reading! :)