I'll Make My Own
Author's Note: In this tale, Menma was born female and her name is still Menma. Sasuke will also be 'trapped' a Tsukuyomi, similar to how Naruto and Sakura did in Road to Ninja. This is also one of a new batch of stories I'm hoping to release in late January 2018, so if you're interested please check out my profile for details. Reader reception will play a large part in how quickly or slowly this one gets updated. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, I hope you enjoy this story and reviews are always appreciated.
Chapter Notation: If you notice anything 'off' about the mechanics of the Tsukuyomi or the timeline that was done for the sake of the plot. There will also be a side of the Road to Ninja versions of Sasuke x Hinata. The lion's share of attention will be on Menma x the original Sasuke though. Happy reading.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my fanfics.
Chapter 1
They had to end this quickly. The final battle against Madara was raging on and at best, they were at a stalemate. One that likely wouldn't last long.
"Naruto, I have an idea." Sasuke dares himself to look at the blonde. "If it works, don't come after me."
He knew of Sakura's and Naruto's trip to that other reality. Sasuke didn't know all of the details of it, but he was fully aware that Obito had 'tested' out the Infinite Tsukuyomi before.
Naruto's eyes narrow at him. "I'm not leaving you behind." That was fine because Sasuke would be the one doing the leaving.
"I have the Rinnegan now and Itachi's eyes." He could do it, if he hit it just right. "I think that when he goes to activate it, I can partially block him and shove him into his own version, but I won't have time to escape."
It was crazy. Reckless and foolish. The sort of plan that Naruto might come up with, but the Jinchuuriki would have come up with an escape plan.
"Sasuke, you can't do that." Naruto blinks at him. "You have no idea what your reality would be like."
The Uchiha in question nods, but also looks at Madara. This was a one shot deal. He couldn't allow his ancestor to trap the entire world in a Genjutsu. Him getting stuck in another dimension seemed like a small price to pay.
Sasuke smiles at Naruto. "You're right." He didn't now. "I have no idea what the other world will be like for me, but I'll make my own. I can make my own reality and you can win this war."
It was amazing really. Time and time again, his best friend should have gotten himself killed. Naruto hadn't though. The man's Will of Fire burned extremely brightly or he had a lot of dumb luck, depending on how you viewed things. Naruto always found a way.
This time, he would though. Sasuke would find a way to protect his friends, his comrades, and to honor Itachi's sacrifice. By making one of his own.
"You're such a bastard." He couldn't argue with that. "We finally got you back and the first thing you want to do is run off again." Naruto clenches his fists. "There has to be another way."
There wasn't and they both knew it. "Naruto, you're an idiot." Sasuke smirks at him. "You've always been an idiot, but you've always been right about the important things. For me, it was the opposite." Sasuke sighs as he pokes Naruto's forehead. "For once, let me do the right thing." He smirks. "I chose to do this and I want you and the others to be happy when I'm gone."
That was the only warning he was going to give his friend. Sasuke Flickers to Madara just as the was about to cast the Genjutsu slams and him into the ground.
"I never would have thought one of my descendants would be so foolish." He smirks. "Do you honestly think that you can beat me with such a crude attack?"
Kurama was right. Madara's eyes did look a lot like his own, not that long ago. Which is why Sasuke had to do this.
"I don't need to beat you." He just had to stop him. "I just need to stop you." These were Itachi's eyes originally. He could do this.
"Sharingan Genjutsu." He might not be able to use Tsukuyomi itself, but this would have to work.
Sasuke was vaguely aware of Madara's eyes widening as he attempts to launch a counter. "Chidori." It was too late though.
The younger Uchiha had just driven a Chidori through Madara's chest, stopping the Infinite Tsukuyomi from being fully used. Without Madara and Obito, the other side wouldn't be able to wield it.
Obito had already passed on and now, Sasuke could feel Madara's lifeblood gushing onto his hands as he gets sucked into the illusion. Madara might be dead, but the Jutsu would live on and so would Sasuke. In another reality.
"I'll just make my own." He smiles as his eyes glaze over and his body disappears from sight.
Several hours later, Menma had to admit that she was completely baffled. "He looks like our Sasuke and yet, he's clearly a different person." Just the chakra signature alone was enough to tell that much.
It was hard to describe really, but this guy's chakra was a lot darker than their Sasuke's. Sure, she was pretty sure it was made up of the same energy, but the feeling attached to it was completely different.
"That's true." Kushina sighs and shakes her head. "Well I've already contacted Fugaku and Mikoto to let them know about this."
Menma nods at that. It was only fair. After all, whoever this guy was he could easily pass for their Sasuke's identical twin. Though it wouldn't be too hard to tell them apart what with their different fashion senses and chakra.
Minato checks the mysterious 'Uchiha's pulse. "Well I think he'll be alright." The blonde ninja smiles. "As far as I can tell, he just fainted."
Her father's cheerful demeanor was a mask in this case. Menma could see a certain wariness in his eyes. Minato was happy this guy wasn't hurt, but he was also wary.
Everything about this stranger suggested he had been in a major battle recently, except for his body. There wasn't a mark on him, but his clothes were torn in several places and his chakra signature while potent was weak.
"The poor boy is completely exhausted." Kushina sighs.
Her mother was mostly right about that. Though Menma would have said man. Boys didn't have biceps like that. He was definitely the other Sasuke's twin. She just hoped that he wasn't as outrageous of a flirt as the original Sasuke.
That got annoying after awhile. Sure, it was funny in small doses. You'd think the girls would learn after awhile though. Sasuke was just a flirt. He hadn't been serious about any of them, well other than Hinata.
"I can't believe he calls her kitten." Menma shakes her head in disbelief.
Hinata was far more like a tigress. Somehow, the odd couple worked though and the Hyuga woman kept her boyfriend in line. The flirting had grinded to a halt with anyone whose name wasn't Hinata Hyuga.
Minato smiles at her pleasantly. "You can't believe who calls who kitten?" Damn it. Had she actually said that out loud?
"Nevermind." The sapphire eyed ninja rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "I was just you know, talking to myself?"
Hopefully, he'd buy that. Menma really wasn't in the mood to explain the whole kitten thing. She had far more important things to worry about. Like why did Sasuke have a doppelganger?
"Do you have any idea what they wanted?" Fugaku glances at his wife as the two of them arrive at the Namikaze-Uzumaki household.
It hadn't taken them that long to get there, but the Uchiha Patriarch had to admit that he was confused by the entire affair. It wasn't unheard of for Kushina or Minato to stop by the Uchiha District. So why would they send a messenger toad.
Yes, a toad. Fugaku was not making that last part up. Minato had certainly chosen a strange animal to form a Summoning Contract with. Seriously, why toads?
Mikoto shakes her head quickly. "Only, that it was urgent and that it was a family matter." A family matter?
"Well, I know that Sasuke isn't dating Menma." Fugaku knocks on the door. "He's still head over heels for the Hyuga girl. So that can't be it."
A family affair? What was that supposed to mean? Could Itachi be dating Menma? Fugaku supposed it was possible, but it seemed unlikely given the age gap. Then again, he was five years older than his own wife. So it wasn't that extreme.
Mikoto laughs and kisses his cheek. "I don't think that it has anything to do with Puppy Love." Good. Good because a blonde Uchiha seemed almost blasphemous really.
"Oh good." Kushina smiles as she bounds over to them. "I'm so glad you came quickly. You may want to sit down for this." The woman was now laughing nervously. "I'm not entirely sure how to explain this, but sitting down would definitely be a good idea." Which was never a good sign.
Luckily, Minato wasn't far behind his daughter. So he and Mikoto sit down on the living room's couch and look at him expectantly. Now, perhaps they would finally get some answers.
His best friend was now pacing. "Well I'm not really sure how to explain this either." Were they trying to give him a heart attack? "But do you remember when another Sakura and Menma came to our world?" His azure orbs darken at the memory. Likely because it couldn't be easy to realize that your own daughter had been the 'villain' of the story.
"Yes, we remember." Mikoto nods. "What does that have to do with us though?"
Thank goodness that his wife was feeling far less tongue-tied than he was at the moment. Fugaku wasn't entirely sure that he would have been able to get even that much out.
A million possibilities were now swirling in his mind and almost none of them were good. "Did the second set come back?" The second set seemed like as good a name as any to him.
After all, what else was he supposed to call them? This second Menma and Sakura? Apparently, if he understood things correctly the second Menma was actually a boy in his reality, but had gotten trapped in the 'Sexy Jutsu' when he came over to theirs. It must have been a rather traumatic experience for the boy, Fugaku muses.
"Not exactly." Minato laughs in a manner that resembled a chipmunk that had consumed entirely too much helium. "It's more like a third member of the second set came here." A fact which Fugaku knew didn't bode well for any of them.
No one laughed that way, unless something horrific had happened. That or they were extremely nervous about something and now, he knew what that something was.
"Who crossed over?" The Uchiha Patriarch simply had to know.
Kushina lets out the breath she had been holding. "Your son." What? "Well at least another version of him anyway. I'm almost positive that the man asleep in our guestroom is Sasuke."
Meanwhile Itachi had just finished training with his foolish little brother. "You're progressing remarkably well." He smiles at the younger Uchiha. "I presume that has something to do with your unexpected agility and endurance training."
The other man just smiles at him. "Yeah. I guess that's one way to put it." Itachi nods in understanding.
Well, he was happy that his brother had finally found someone. Though the Hyuga Heiress was definitely a feisty one.
A few minutes later, Itachi notices something odd as they arrive back at their childhood home. "That's strange." Their parents were gone. "It's Sunday. Father doesn't work on Sundays and I doubt Mother would want to brave the markets on a busy weekend."
"That is weird." Sasuke looks around as he heads to the kitchen. "Maybe, they left a note?" Yes, perhaps they had. It would be the responsible thing to do. Assuming they didn't get called away on a supreme urgent mission.
His brother might not be so foolish after all, Itachi observes as Sasuke directs his attention towards the fridge. "It looks like you were right, brother." Itachi smiles at the other ninja. "They did indeed leave a note."
Sasuke nods and begins reading it. "We've gone to visit Kushina and Minato. We'll hopefully be back soon." Ah that made sense. Now, what code had they used. "Fireball Jutsu."
They had codes that only their family members would really understand. Lists of Jutsus to show how urgent the situation was.
"So it's potentially serious." Itachi frowns. "Though they believe they can handle it relatively easily."
The Fireball Jutsu was their 'Coming of Age' Justu. Something that was considered 'child's play' or second nature to most adult Uchihas.
Sauske nods in agreement. "Yeah." He opens the fridge. "Looks like it. I guess Mother must have suspected we'd be stopping by." He points inside the fridge. "Our favorites are here."
Yes, that did sound like their mother. "Perfect." After a long day of training few things were better than a nice, home cooked meal. "We might as well eat while we wait. They'll likely be back soon."
After all, there was a reason why Fugaku and Mikoto were heads of the Uchiha Clan. They were both formidable ninjas in their own right. There were few things that they weren't capable of handling. He was probably worrying too much.
"You're telling us that we have twins." Mikoto tries her best not to gape at them.
Kushina rubs her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose that's one way to look at it." Clearly, the Uchiha Matriarch's interpretation had thrown the other woman for a loop.
Well that made two of them then. Mikoto had no idea how to react to this. There were two Sasuke's?
"He's alright." Minato smiles at them. "It looks like he just fainted when he crossed over."
Well that was a relief. "Thank you for telling us." Mikoto was about to head to the guestroom when Fugaku stopped her.
She gives him a dirty look. Didn't he realize that they had to go and see this other Sasuke immediately? He had just come from another reality. He'd likely be terrified.
"We don't even know, if he's awake yet." Fugaku shakes his head and sighs. "Let him wake up and have a moment to adjust to his new surroundings before pouncing on him."
Oh. Well that was a fair point. "Right." Mikoto sighs and crosses her arms as she joins Minato in pacing. "I suppose that was a bit premature."
Someone was touching him. That was the first thing that Sasuke was aware of when he regained consciousness
"It's strange." That and the person's hands were wonderfully soft and warm. "You really do look just like him." Their version was also female, but somehow familiar in a way that he couldn't properly identify when his mind was still so hazy.
He'd done it though. Sasuke must have gotten caught in Madara's Jutsu. Which was both a relief and terrifying. What sort of world had he just landed into?
Thus far, it didn't seem that bad. If this woman was truly a threat, she would have slit his throat already. Gods and Goddesses only knew how long he'd been laying there and completely at her mercy.
"Who do I look like?" He opens his eyes and blinks.
It was Naruto, but not at the same time. This person looked a lot like Naruto, but they were definitely a woman. Sasuke would have accused the idiot of doing the Sexy Jutsu, but the idiot could never keep a straight face while doing something like that.
The woman tilts her head. "You look like Sasuke." She didn't seem that surprised to see him though. Well that was interesting, apparently Naruto's other self was a woman in this reality.
"That's because I am Sasuke." That was something that the Uchiha in question hadn't really thought about though.
Naruto had encountered another version of himself, but the thought hadn't occurred to him. In this world, he wasn't the only Sasuke. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
She nods at him as she glides her hand down his cheek. "You're your world's version of Sasuke." She still remembered then. "Our version dresses better, but I get the impression that you're smarter."
"I'm not sure if that was an insult or a compliment." He raises an eyebrow.
Surprisingly, he felt fine. Lower on chakra than he would have liked, but there was no actual pain. He must have been healed automatically by the power of the Jutsu.
She laughs and shakes her head in amusement. "Definitely, smarter." The blonde pauses as though debating something. "Well maybe, not smarter. Just more focused. Anyway, it was kinda both." Yeah. That's what Sasuke figured.
Well if Naruto and Sakura got out of this world, that meant that the girl Naruto was probably a good girl again. So he should be safe.
"Sorry, I didn't bring any money with me." Sasuke shrugs as he sits up. "So it's not like I can buy new clothes."
She smiles at him. "I'm sure that you can wear some of the other Sasuke's clothes until your Clan buys you some new ones." Wait. What? "I'm Menma by the way."
"Until your Clan buys you some new ones." It was such a simple sentence, but it shocked Sasuke to the core. Were they actually alive here? It was one thing for him to have another version of himself living in this reality, but what about his family?
Menma was acting as though they were all alive. Clan as in plural. Not just one other member, but multiple Uchihas might still be running around.
"You alright?" She tilts her head. "If you're worried about being a charity case, I'm sure they'll have you join the Military Police Force or something to pay it off." That answered that. "After you prove that you aren't a threat, of course. They'll probably want Ibiki to interrogate you first before accepting you into the fold."
That sounded more like his world. Ibiki was the best in the business when it came to interrogation.
Did Sasuke want to subject himself and the other Leaf Villagers to the truth though? No. Not really, but if he didn't…they'd all know something was wrong. Which could only mean one thing. If Sasuke ran, he'd likely be declared a Missing Nin again.
"Yeah." He nods dumbly. "That sounds good. I just have one question." One that was threatening to make his heart beat out of his chest. "When you said my Clan, does that include Fugaku, Mikoto, and Itachi Uchiha?"
Were they all really alive? Had he 'saved' Itachi in a way by coming to this dimension? Would this Itachi be anything like his former self and what about Sasuke's parents?
Menma sighs and gives him a sympathetic look. "Yes, they're all alive." Those beautiful blue eyes seemed more…observant than Naruto usually was. "I'm sorry. The fact that you had to ask that must mean they weren't alive in your reality."
He gives a curt nod to that. What else could he say? There was no point in denying it and she was right.
"I need to see them." The very thought was making his chest feel as though it was about to explode.
It was a sensation far too akin to Deidara's bombs going on, but a happier one at the same time. There was a chance that he could have his family back in this new reality. The only question remained, what kind of family would they be and would they want him around?
They already had one Sasuke. Would they really want two? He didn't know and that was enough to make the young Uchiha feel as though he was about to vomit.
Menma nods at him in understanding. "I'm glad that you feel that way." She was? Why? "Because my parents already contacted them and they're likely on their way here as we speak and that's assuming that they haven't already arrived already."
The room was suddenly spinning. His parents were coming to see him. His parents were alive and they were coming to see him.
"Do you have anything else I can change into?" It was a stupid thing to worry about.
Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha weren't going to accept or reject him based on what he was wearing. Still, Sasuke needed to focus on something and that seemed as good as any.
Menma tilts her head thoughtfully as she considers his request. "I think you'd probably fit into one of my dad's old Jonin Uniforms." Great. That was respectable and at least they weren't ripped in dozens of locations. "Plus, you'll probably look pretty cute in it."
"Thanks..." Yeah. Sasuke definitely wasn't in his world anymore.
Naruto, the female version of him anyway, had just called him cute. That was going to take awhile to process, but still at least Sasuke knew one thing without a doubt. He hadn't been lying to the other Naruto when he said he'd make his own reality. For better or worse, it looked like he was starting over with a completely clean slate.
"You're welcome." She smiles at him. "Try not to stare at them like you've seen a ghost too much." That was going to be difficult. "Though I guess from your perspective, they kinda are ghosts."
Sasuke shakes his head as he gets out of the bed. "Yeah, but the best kind of ghosts." He smiles at her. "The kind that never died in the first place." At least, they hadn't in this reality anyway and Sasuke was going to do everything in his power to keep it that way.