A small child walks the barren streets, quietly humming to himself. He wonders what his mother is cooking for dinner tonight, and if his brother will actually be home to eat with them- probably not. He wonders if his father will start smiling again, also why he stopped in the first place.
For some reason, the road seems too quiet. Every streetlight is colored only blank, void of any kind of light. There are no sounds of laughter from inside the houses, or even a sign of a person around. Sasuke looks around, while clutching the kunai in his pocket protectively. There is no smoke coming from the chimneys either.
If there were any bad guys around, he would take care of them. Maybe that was why everyone had the lights out; they were hiding from rouge ninjas. His grip tightens even more, and his face scrunches into a frown. That had to be the reason why no one was around. It wasn't a holiday, was it?
The silence isn't the sort of peaceful one he tends to enjoy. It's scary.
"Mom? Dad?" His soft voice calls out into the array of empty houses. No one responds to his calls. As Sasuke's feet tread along the familiar worn path, he tried to think of something that can ease his fear. His mother tucking him into bed at night, Itachi coming to his side when he had a nightmare, his father praising him for a good grade.
The walk seems so much longer than usual, even with lack of people running around the district. He rounds the corner to arrive at his home, when he hears a rustling sound in a nearby bush. Terrified with fright, he freezes up, while getting a weird sensation. It starts in his stomach and fills him with dread to the very core. Sasuke isn't even aware that his legs are trembling in fright.
He knows he can't act like this, what would mother say about her brave little son being a coward? Whatever is nearby is shaking around in the bushes again, worsening his fear. In a panic, he tries to remember those things that calm him again.
Mom.
Dad.
Itachi.
"Brother!" A weak voice cries out, and Sasuke spins around to face Itachi, who is stumbling out from the woods with a rather bad limp. The sight is enough to send icy chills up his back, and by now his heart is going a mile a minute.
"What.. What happened 'tachi! Where's mom and dad?" The smaller boy rushes to his brother's side, and wraps an arm around his shoulder to support him. Besides his leg, Sasuke can see no wounds on Itachi. However, he's drenched in scarlet blood. The liquid is oozing and dripping from his long hair and clothes, giving off a morbid glimmer in the moonlight.
"A very powerful group of enemies infiltrated the village a few hours ago. They were here to get revenge on the Uchiha for our past crimes, I suppose. I'm not sure what their intentions were, but they came here quick. When I returned from town, everyone was gone- including mother and father. I'm so sorry Sasuke."
The first thought Sasuke has, is that he has an uncontrollable urge to vomit. Tears are already begging to pool in the corners of his previously hopeful eyes. Pain sears through his body, but it's the kind of pain you can't fix at a hospital. It's the kind of pain that aches and tears you apart in a matter of seconds. He doesn't want to believe it, no, no, he can't believe it. They're not dead. They're not dead.
"You're lying! They're alive!" Sasuke screeches, letting go of Itachi to try and dash into the house. Oh god, how he hurts. He wants to sob and scream, and maybe a little bit of both. But he is stopped by a strong arm, grabbing hold of his waist.
"I cannot let you do that. The sight in there is something your eyes are unable handle yet." He has a vice grip on Sasuke, holding his flailing body against him tightly. His foolish little brother won't stop squirming, trying to break free and prove him a liar. Denial is always the first stage of grief.
"They're not dead, don't say that they are because they're not!" Now, Sasuke's words are being to jumble up. His lip begins to tremble, and the tears come like a waterfall. Itachi doesn't tell him to stop, or to dry his tears either. He allows his little brother to let his sorrow out. There's a kunai in Itachi's back pocket, but he can't bear to use it now. He will wait until the opportunity arises. Itachi lets go of him.
When he looks down at his small and fragile brother, the murky black irises have turned to crimson red, dashed with tiny swirls. The agony he feels now was enough to trigger his sharingan early. Sasuke's soft crying turns to wracking sobs, and he falls to his knees, feeling utterly hopeless. Seeing this makes Itachi's guilt boil up inside him, like a kettle about to burst. His heart strings have already been tugged, and he is filled with the regret of his previous decisions.
How could he kill someone so young, with an entire life ahead of him? It would be like ripping the wings off of a butterfly as soon as it learns to spread them. Sasuke does not know of war, he does not know how cruel the world really is. Tonight, his innocence has been tainted. He's been robbed of his childhood and his parents in one night, and Itachi can't bear to steal his life away as well.
His hand stays stiff at his side, and Itachi knows he won't be using the appendage to carry out his duty anytime soon. Instead, he kneels down beside his precious baby brother, and his calloused hand slowly rubs up and down his back, trying to calm him down somewhat.
"W-Why are you so-" Sasuke pauses to let out a whimper, "bloody?"
"I found them when I came home. I tried my hardest to save them, but it was far too late." His words are well rehearsed, and his voice is dripping with the same sort of agony that mirrors Sasuke's. Oh, how vile and retched he feels.
"And y-your leg?" As usual, Sasuke was observant of everything. Even between sobs, he is worried about Itachi's sake. It's too good for someone like Itachi. He doesn't deserve the pity.
"I tried to chase after the enemy, but they had left a few traps, and I'm afraid I may have sprained my ankle." Itachi had ignored the pain for the most part, yet his ankle was puffy and swollen, making it difficult to walk. That would be a bother, until he found the time to heal it.
Right on cue, Sasuke looks down and flinches. He sniffs pathetically and allows a few more tears to fall, while he gazes down at Itachi's injury. By now, his head was throbbing due to the sharingan, and it was hard not to pass out from pure shock alone. He was alone now. No more mom and dad. No more goodnight kisses before he went to bed, and no more packed lunches in the morning. No more of his mother's voice as she sang to him when he was down.
His life had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes.
"Sasuke.. we need to leave soon. I know you're upset, and I am too. My priority at the moment is keeping you safe, I couldn't live with myself if I let this happen to you as well." Itachi slowly rises from the ground, and takes one last look at the place he'll no longer call home. Sasuke slowly wipes at his tear stained face, and tries to stand up, only to fall right back in the dirt.
His legs feel like jello, probably due to the sharingan and his current emotions. The stench of blood is only making matters worse, causing him to feel dizzy and disoriented as if he were under a genjustsu. Itachi's words are still echoing in his mind.
"Everyone's gone- including mother and father."
"Everyone's gone- including mother and father."
"Everyone's gone-"
Sasuke's vision turns into a mess of red and black, and that is the last thing he remembers.
"So you've carried out the massacre, as planned?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well done, Itachi. I knew the village could count on you. You have earned much more than our loyalty. Is there anything you desire from me, anything at all?"
"My only request, is that the truth is hidden from Sasuke. I will raise him myself, and I will shield him from a destiny he does not deserve. One little secret will not affect him, if we never speak of this to anyone. He has no right to suffer."
"Oh? Are you certain about this Itachi? He won't be able to attend the academy any longer if you choose to hide him from the village. It would be a shame to waste so much potential. In addition, he is likely to find out the outcome in due time."
"It will not matter, if I can protect him for a few short years. I will continue to serve the village, as promised, but I want Sasuke to live with me. We'll relocate to the outskirts of town, and I'll make sure we're hidden well."
"What will you tell him about the death of an entire clan? Will he believe a half-willed excuse such as yours?"
"Don't worry, I am prepared. His sharingan has awakened, I can't leave him here much longer. Do you agree to keep the villagers away, and allow me to bring him up?"
"You are treading dangerous waters. If he finds out the truth, he will not hesitate to kill you when he is older. Are you prepared to face the consequences?"
"I am."
"Very well, I expect to see you soon."
Itachi left the Third Hokage's office, with a heavy burden lifted from upon his shoulders. One dirty little secret wouldn't harm a thing.
Author's Note: I got this idea in the middle of the night and decided to write it. I was super curious as to what Naruto would be like if the whole massacre situation was different, and voila this story was born. Reviews make my day~