Twin Suns Burning

Sasuke wanted to run. He wanted to scream and cry and go to sleep and hopefully when he woke up, his mother would walk in and tell him this had all just been a dream. He wanted that to happen; he wanted to wake up, he wanted this to be a nightmare, or a lie, or even some horribly cruel genjutsu.

But more than anything, right now, he wanted to kill Itachi.

As he ran after his Brother, a part of him knew it was all but hopeless. He'd long since accepted that his brother was better than him—and everyone else—at just about everything. More than that, Itachi had just done something he'd thought impossible and beaten the entire Uchiha clan. He'd always thought of his brother as unstoppable, unbeatable, and untouchable and tonight had done little to change that view.

He knew what he was doing was foolish.

He knew what he was doing might even have been suicide.

He didn't care. Because he knew other things, too; He knew that when he came home, Teyaki-ojisan had been screaming and clutching at the bleeding stump of his missing leg. He knew Uruchi-obasan had been crying, and screaming, and crawling on the ground towards her fallen husband. That Tekka and Yashiro and Inabi had been right all along and how they'd been shouting that, half-mad, as they'd curled up over missing or useless limbs. He knew that dozens of people he'd known all his life, grown up with or under or around had all been lying on the ground, unconscious or screaming, but all defeated. He knew that when he'd scrambled, shouting for help from the neighbors, that no one had answered, and how the strange men in masks—ANBU like his brother had been—had come to help his family, bandaging or tending to wounds, and yet not one had gone to find the source of the attack.

He knew that they had held him back when his brother had walked out of their house, ANBU armor smeared with blood, and how he'd been so relieved to see that at least his brother was okay—how he'd been so certain that the danger had passed, because of course Itachi had dealt with it. How he'd been so confused when his brother had marched right passed him, stone-faced and silent as he asked what had happened. And how he'd learned what dawning comprehension felt like when his still conscious relatives had seen Itachi and had started to shout bloody murder and accusation, even as the unconscious bodies of his parents were carried out by a set of ANBU.

He knew all that, and compared to it, the facts about Itachi just didn't seem to matter. He had to see his brother, had to know why he'd done this, had to know what was really going on, had to—

And yet, when he finally caught up with his brother as he moved through the disturbingly empty streets of Konoha and his brother looked at him with eyes cold as steel and sharp as daggers…suddenly, he wasn't sure what to say.

"Sasuke." His Brother said, voice calm and casual and suddenly more infuriating then anything Sasuke had ever heard. His Brother was standing there, covered in their family's blood, acting like he hadn't turned upon him and their family and ruined their lives and that nothing was wrong—

Sasuke suddenly realized he was starting to hyperventilate, but he didn't feel scared anymore. No, he just felt tremendously, unspeakably pissed off.

"Itachi!" He shouted, glad he hadn't forgotten himself and called him brother. "H-how could you!? Everyone…they said they would be crippled for life, Itachi!"

"Yes," His Brother nodded in agreement, voice tight with some emotion, but not with shame.

"Why!?" Sasuke demanded, proud that the plea he felt hadn't wormed its way into his voice. "Why would you do this!? To father and mother…to our family! What the hell are you doing, Itachi!?"

For a moment, as Itachi opened his mouth, Sasuke thought it would be that simple. That Itachi would explain everything and there would be some reason behind it that would clear everything up and make things better—that part of him that still couldn't accept that his brother had done this wanted to believe that.

But Itachi just closed his mouth and shook his head slightly.

"Itachi-san?" A voice suddenly startled Sasuke, who shifted his gaze to the rooftops. Another ANBU, just one of the many he'd seen today, stood perched atop one of the houses. "It's almost time."

"I know," His brother replied, turning. "Go home, Sasuke."

For a minute, he just stared at his brother's back, disbelieving.

And then he saw red.

"Itachi!" He cried as he leapt at his brother.

This was where his plan ended. He had no idea how to defeat his brother and no real chance of doing so either, but he didn't care. He just took a leap and hoped for a miracle.

Predictably, it didn't happen. Itachi turned around, blindingly fast, and punched him in the stomach so hard that for a moment, Sasuke thought he'd been struck by the hammer of some angry god, and he went flying.

He must have blacked out, too, because the next thing he knew he was alone in the street and his cheek was hurting from lying too long on the hard ground. His stomach hurt worse, though, throbbing painfully like a second heart. He thought about getting up and realized he didn't want to. He wanted to dig a hole, crawl in it, and stay there until he died.

He got up anyway, leaned against a wall he didn't remember impacting, put his head in his hands, and cried in frustration, grief, and pain. His clan was crippled. His brother had betrayed him. And he…was pathetic.

He cried until his eyes hurt and his sobs were distorted by the clogging of his nose and he was sure he looked as pitiful and ugly as he felt, which, naturally, was when he heard footsteps. Because the only way to make what was already the worst day of his life even worse was for someone to point and laugh at his day.

It didn't matter; at this point he didn't even care anymore. He only even lifted his head to throw a weak glare at whoever was about to interrupt is misery.

Only to freeze in shock at what his eyes landed on. A woman turned the corner and headed straight for him, but she was different from any woman he'd ever seen. Light purple skin devoid of any hair, eyes that were pools of dark blue devoid of either pupils or whites, and clothing that seemed to exist, where it was present at all, entirely of metal.

She might have been pretty, if she weren't so strange looking.

The woman smile as she knelt beside him, brushing the tears from one eye with a thumb before bringing it to her mouth and licking it.

"Poor boy," She sighed, turning to lean against the same wall as him. "Life is cruel, especially to those that don't deserve it. But how can you expect justice from a world that turned upon its own makers?"

The question was probably rhetorical, but Sasuke still didn't understand it.

"W-what?"

The woman gently reached up to ruffle his hair, understanding expression never fading.

"You were hurt," She said matter-of-factly. "Betrayed and beaten and humiliated."

She smiled a bit ruefully as he nodded, dumbfounded.

"You're not alone. You're not the only one who feels that way. The very architects of the cosmos know the same pain. They have been unjustly overthrown, cast out, imprisoned, and mutilated. For thousands of years, they have been held captive and in pain. They need a hero to save them. To bring down the rule of the cruel beings that rule over this world as gods and yet care nothing for the people over which they lord their power. To castigate a world steeped in corruption." The women looked at him and tilted her head. "Will you help them?"

"M-me!?" Sasuke drew away in surprise, completely baffled by this whole conversation. "What can I do? I'm…I'm so…weak…I can't even help my own family."

The lady chuckled and ruffled his hair again. When next she spoke, it was with a voice that did not seem entirely her own.

"Do not worry, child. I said before, didn't I? You are not alone. We cannot act, but we can give you power that would make the bickering gods that ruin this world quail in terror. We can't free ourselves, but we can guide you on the path to setting us free. We cannot reach beyond the boundaries of our prison, but we can give you the strength to brush the stars from the Heavens and make armies free before you." She paused for a moment, lifting his chin so that their eyes met. "We cannot save the ones you love, but we can give you the power to do it yourself. So please, help us, and in return, you shall be Exalted above all other men."

Sasuke liked his lips, eyes darting about, trying to think—but he was sold and he knew it. He didn't understand what she was saying, didn't know what was going on, but it didn't matter—if she would give him the strength to save his clan, he would do anything.

"Yes," He said, nodding breathlessly. "I'll do it. I-I'll do whatever you want. Just—"

"Shhh," She said softly, smiling. "I know."

She kissed him on the forehead and exhaled slowly.

"Thank you."

And then, she exploded before his eyes, unraveling and coming apart in a horrible web of power and viscera and Sasuke's heart leapt in terror and he opened his mouth to scream, but it closed around him before he could make a sound.

XxXXxX

Itachi stalked through the ANBU Headquarters, his anger obvious.

Or, at least, he thought it should be obvious. A number of his fellow ANBU, namely those that had not been on duty at the Uchiha compound earlier today, had greeted him casually as if nothing were wrong and hadn't seemed to get the hint even after he'd stopped to stare at them hard. True, he was good at hiding his emotions, but anyone in ANBU really should have picked up on it. He'd have to speak with their trainers at some point, but tonight, all he wanted to do was sleep.

"Well, someone's in a bad mood," A familiar voice stopped him, shattering his hopes.

Kakashi's voice had a tendency to do that.

Itachi turned towards the Copy-nin, a small part of him wondering if he would be able to scare the man off. Considering the events of the day, it probably wouldn't be too hard to convince anyone he'd snapped, and being able to sleep now might be worth the psych evaluation later, especially since he was fairly sure one would be heading his way soon anyway, considering what he'd just had to do.

But Kakashi was the king of making excuses; he probably wouldn't be fooled.

So instead, Itachi took a deep, calming breath, exhaled slowly, and nodded in greeting towards the man.

"Kakashi," He acknowledged. "What is it?"

Kakashi smiled at him beneath his mask and casually knocked on the door beside him.

"Do you have a moment, Itachi-kun?"

When Kakashi pulled you aside and asked to speak to you in private, it was always important news. It was also, however, pretty much always bad news, so Itachi had to stop himself from glaring at the man; childish or not, he just wanted this day to be over already.

But Itachi was one of the best, so he put his feelings aside and opened the door to his office. ANBU Commanders were expected to have access to information that couldn't be risked by leaving it at their homes, which is why they were given offices to store such things and work on them in a place they could be reasonably sure was private. Itachi cast a longing look at the door that led to his private quarters and the bed there in before taking a seat at his desk and looking at his visitor.

"Danzo won't let this go easily, you realize," Kakashi began without preamble, leaning against the door. "Orders from Sarutobi-sama or not. He won't tolerate the Uchiha's survival now that he deems them a threat to the village."

Itachi had to keep himself from clinching his fists at the name.

"What I did was the best course of action for Konoha. While the current leaders of the clan may be a lost cause—"

"Those that follow can still be taught, yes, yes. I'm not here to disagree with your reasons, Itachi; I've backed you up from the beginning and even Sarutobi agrees. No one wants to lose the Sharingan entirely and its complete extermination from Konoha's ranks would be sign of weakness to all the other Villages, especially after the Hyuuga incident. If they're watched over, then in a few decades, peaceful negotiations might be more reasonable and hopefully we can keep things from getting to the other villages for that long."

"With the Uchiha clan primarily staying in Konoha as the police force, most countries haven't seen any Uchiha since the War. It won't be any different than what they've been dealing with, so long as we can keep word from spreading. With the Rebellion stopped, we might even be able to proceed to negotiations quickly, especially if Jiraiya-sama manages to find Tsunade-sama. The return of their physical ability would be a powerful weapon, especially given my families pride in their capabilities. It should not be a problem." Itachi said, before something cold and heavy settled in his stomach as a possibilities occurred to him. "No. He wouldn't; Hokage-sama forbid it."

"Danzo does a lot of stuff Sarutobi forbids and gets away with it thanks to that personal army of his." Kakashi pointed out. "Nobody wants a civil war in Konoha; that's just asking for an invasion."

"But to directly go against orders from Hokage-sama…" Itachi said, calming himself. "You're right; nobody wants a Civil War—especially not Danzo. He wouldn't antagonize the Uchiha clan, especially while the option of them being healed and rejoining our forces remains."

"You sure about that?" The Copy-nin asked mildly. Itachi suddenly remembered why he hated having meetings like this with Kakashi.

"What happened?" He demand, envisioning attacks at the hospitals and dead Uchiha.

Kakashi paused dramatically for a moment, just to antagonize him, Itachi was sure.

"I heard a rumor." He said.

Itachi blinked.

"Oh." He said, a part of him relieved. But then, he paused, mulling it over; Kakashi wouldn't have come here over something minor. Slowly, that horrible possibility began to grow inside his mind and he narrowed his eyes at Kakashi, gaze searching. "…What kind of rumor?"

"A funny one; apparently the Uchiha clan were contemplating a rebellion of sorts and the ANBU were sent to deal with the matter. I kind of had to laugh because, if I remember correct, everything that happened tonight was a secret."

Itachi had to smother a growl that threatened to crawl out.

"Danzo…" He murmured dangerously.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous; I'm sure once we trace the rumors to their source it'll just be some drunk agent who, of course, would gladly give his life as repayment." Kakashi replied sardonically. "This will all just be a huge mistake that'll never happen again."

Itachi paused, frowning.

"Would Hokage-sama accept that?"

"He won't want too, but at this point he might have too. Whether we like it or not, losing Root—and however many ninja would die taking root apart—in addition to the Uchiha clan isn't feasible at this point, especially since Danzo keeps Root's membership a closely guarded secret. Treachery or not, Danzo will almost certainly survive this, if only because he's too expensive to kill. Worse than that…"

"Everyone will focus on Root, now," Itachi realized. "We can't afford to let them operate completely in the shadows any more, now that Danzo has challenged the Hokage. Every ANBU will be dedicated to finding out as much about them as possible."

"Every ANBU? Try every loyal ninja, period." Kakashi snorted. "I'm sure the Third will be calling us all in any minute now."

Itachi's mind raced. His gamble to keep the Uchiha clan alive had been risky—he'd known that from the beginning—but the potential rewards had been too much for Konoha to pass up. Everyone knew the power of the Sharingan and the Uchiha had served as one of the last lines of defense in Konoha for nearly a century. Konoha was loathe to give up either it's police force or one of its most valuable bloodlines, so he was sure that if he put the Uchiha in a position of weakness negotiations would continue. Surely his father would see reason after being defeated…

But that all relied on a key strategy. Don't antagonize the defeated. His father could be humbled, but if he saw his family outcast and attacked by the people of Konoha, he would get angry—especially if Sasuke or his wife were targeted. Even if he didn't have a chance, his father was too hot-headed to stand by and let Konoha abuse his wife and son.

And they would. The brand of traitor was a cruel one indeed in the world of shinobi, where a traitor within was the most dangerous enemy. In a day, word would have spread throughout the village and every Uchiha would be considered no more than scum. With their ability to serve as active shinobi removed on top of that…the power of the Uchiha clan would evaporate overnight. And when their enemies throughout the village heard…

Worse, with the threat of an unseen, unknown enemy—not a distasteful ally anymore, but an actual enemy—within the village nobody would have time to do anything about it. The Uchiha were a huge potential benefit for the village—in years or decades perhaps. But the looming threat of a Civil War against someone they couldn't even find was more important than the now crippled and soon-to-be hated Uchiha, a hundred times over. After all, the Uchiha could always just be killed off if they tried anything, as was the original plan. Now that he'd crippled them all, it wouldn't even be all that hard.

It irked Itachi—his plan, his sacrifices, all his hard work, ruined by a single word from Danzo. They'd underestimated Danzo and Root, secure in their knowledge that they would never outright move against the word of the Hokage, and it would be his brother who would pay for it.

Forgive me, Sasuke.

XxXXxX

"How long will he be in there?" One of the men asked, sliding a hand over the smooth surface of what looked like an enormous Amethyst. The crystals surface distorted everything within it oddly, leaving only a strange blur of the person held within, which was getting harder to see by the second. A day ago, it had been all but clear, and what they had seen left more than a little cause for worry. "They'll come looking for him, soon."

A fan on the back of his shirt—the mark of the Uchiha clan. Takuya tried not to let that worry him.

"The Uchiha clan has bigger things to worry about right now," He said, having checked on them personally. Konoha's medic-nin were skilled, but with a clan full of people injured, healing would take some time. According to a contact of his in the hospital, dozens had lost limbs and a lot of blood, with several suffering even greater injuries, and many had reacted angrily to their situation and needed to be put under for a while in order to treat them at all. Nearly five days had passed and there were still people in the Hospital—though, he supposed, the fact that after only five days, dozens of people with ruined limbs had been allowed out said a lot about the medical ninja's skills.

Or at least how over worked this situation had them.

"Most of them will probably just think he was hospitalized as well," He continued. "And if they notice, so what? The Uchiha clan has fallen on hard times. What are they going to do, now that they've been branded as traitors?"

"Come looking for us?" Gorou suggested. "Fugaku may have lost an arm, but I doubt he'd have much trouble killing us all with just one. Not to mention the rest of the clan. We basically kidnapped the clan heir, Takuya; you think the Uchiha will react any better to that then the Hyuuga?"

"No one saw us," He said, with the firm conviction of someone who hoped with every fiber of his being that it was true. "And all we need to do is keep him hidden a little while longer. I don't know when he entered the Chrysalis, but we found him when? Like one in the morning or something? That's in only about two hours; he should hatch by then at the latest. They said five days, right?"

He was being rhetorical. He'd spent every minute of the last five days counting down the seconds, half-expecting a squad of angry ninja who had recently lost everything and wanted to take it on him and, later, his mutilated corpse, to burst through the door at any moment.

"You should be honored," Mao told Gorou sharply, speaking up from her seat by the Chrysalis. "We were chosen to watch over our new Prince."

Gorou snorted.

"Whatever. I just wish he'd go and bloom into a beautiful little butterfly or whatever and get this over with."

As if in response to his insult, the room was lit up by a vile green light, shining out of the Chrysalis like a lantern. As it did, it illuminated a network of hair thin cracks upon its polished surface, growing quickly to cover it entirely.

Takuya had a brief moment to realize what was going on before it exploded in a flash of green light.

The crystal was reduced to nothing but dust in an instant, which was probably the only reason they survived as it covered the room. Takuya closed his eyes as the dust peppered his face, stinging somewhat, but doing little more.

When he opened them again, the first thing he saw was Green. The prince they had guarded rose to his feet nimbly, burning like a sun with his own radiance, a pair of bronze swords crossed upon his brow. Takuya had never spoken to the boy, but he had seen him running around town before, and for a moment, he though the being he was looking at was someone else. Though he knew he was just a child, for just a second, in that green light, he was huge and powerful, his features twisting with nightmarish imagery—of blood-stained claws and teeth, unholy light and flames, and the terrible, merciless wrath of an angry demon. His throat clinched as he opened his mouth to speak, to try and explain, and a weight settled uncomfortably over him, and he was left unsure if his mind was playing tricks on him or if that fell light was actually pushing him down.

For a moment.

And then the light receded and the mark vanished as if it had never been there at all, and all that was left in its place was a small, cold-looking boy.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, trembling slightly from uncertainty and the cold in equal measure.

While Takuya was still thinking of how to reply, Mao fell to her knees immediately, the fanatically light in her eyes as bright as ever.

"Uchiha-sama, we were sent here to aid you in any way we can. We were guided to you and found you in the streets while you slumbered and brought you here to keep you safe."

Sasuke looked at them silently for a moment, before tilting his head, as if listening to something. After a moment, he nodded in understanding, though of what, Takuya wasn't sure.

"Thank you for all your hard work," He said politely, almost smiling, but stopping short, looking a bit unsure. "It's been…five days!?"

It sounded like an honest question, though it didn't appear to be directed at any of them. Takuya nodded nonetheless.

"Did anything happen while I was asleep?" Sasuke asked, expression concerned. "What happened to my family?"

Takuya and Mao looked at each other, not sure what to say to that, while Gorou snorted. At least, Takuya thought, he was smart enough to keep silent in the Prince's presence.

"We're not completely sure on the details, Uchiha-sama," Takuya said finally. "But most of your family members have been released back to their homes, at least until the people that are in critical condition have finished healing and the rest can be called back for further checkups. We can tell you what we know as we escort you back home, if you would like."

Sasuke nodded quickly, eager to make sure his family is okay, and was already moving towards the door when Gorou coughed loudly, drawing their attention.

"Excuse me, sir," He said, as polite as Takuya thought him capable of, which wasn't very. "And forgive my interruption, but don't the bosses have something for you to do?"

"Gorou!" Takuya hissed, moving towards him, only to be halted as Sasuke raised his hand.

"It's fine," He said. "He is right, after all. However…"

Sasuke looked at Gorou for a moment before turning back to the door.

"What the…bosses have told me to do involves the Uchiha clan. As such, it is important that I speak to my father quickly, before it's too late and he does something rash. Understand?"

After a moment, Gorou rose.

"Yes, sir; let's get you home, then."

XxXXxX

Sasuke walked through the darkened streets, disoriented and trying not to show it. His escorts followed just a few steps behind and he knew it was improper for an Exalt to show such weakness.

For an Uchiha, he corrected himself. His father had told him to be strong, as a member of the Uchiha clan—no one had ever told him of how an Exalt should behave.

Except they had, hadn't they? Or else, he wouldn't have these memories crammed into his head until it almost seemed ready to burst. He knew of how he was supposed to hold himself, how he was supposed to walk, how he was supposed to speak, as a Solar before his people.

But he was not a Solar; Sasuke was sure of that. And these were not his people, to rule over as a king.

Not yet, He thought, the thought rising in his head like the whisper of a seductive voice in his ear and he wondered if it was his own, the voice of a man long dead, or someone else.

He could not say who his mind belonged to anymore. He remembered everything, clear as day; Uchiha Sasuke, running through these streets, eating the lunch his mother made him at the Academy. He remember her scolding him and comforting him and holding him and telling him his father talked only about him when they were alone, just like he remembered his gruff father, who had loved Itachi, who had always thought Itachi was better than him in every way and had always been right and who still had loved him, and called him son, had been his father. He remembered his family, large as it was, a hundred strong, and ringing out clear in his mind was what Itachi had done to them all.

He remembered those memories clearly—and clung to them like he was a man adrift at sea and they were all that was keeping him afloat. Because perhaps they were, for he could remember other things as well. He had to cling to his thoughts, the years of his life in his memories, or else he knew he would be dragged under by the millennia before which they were nothing. He couldn't think of golden ages or unbelievable wars or how things had fallen apart in the end. He couldn't think of gods, of the Sun who had lifted him up from the dirt or who had trusted him in battle or of friends who had died or of leading armies and clashing with titans.

He had to remember running around playgrounds, not around alien landscapes, through them, towards the world-shakers when by all logic he should run away and hide, like he'd done so often years before. He had to remember the faces of schoolyard crushes, not the beauty of his first love's eyes, or the birth of their son, or how they had died but he had not and how then there had been others, again and again, loves, hates, families, children, and so many funerals, for people he'd known and loved and killed and led. He clung to his mother's face, so he didn't think of a woman with the moon on her brow, who had always been there, until she hadn't. Of his father by birth, not the man who'd been like one, burning like the sun, wise and noble and still kind, always there until he wasn't. His clan, not the advisors whose eyes were like the stars and constellations or the soldiers that had been like forces of nature, advising, serving, and loyal until they weren't.

He was Uchiha Sasuke, a child who needed to cling to the memories of his life and needed to faces and those people, not the man who could do anything without any help, until he couldn't, until he'd needed them, until they weren't there.

So he opened his eyes, taking deep, steadying breaths as the tide receded, even though it was still there in his mind and always would be, and knew he couldn't afford to admit to himself that he was happy about that—happy to remember being strong, being loved, being admired—or he was going to lose himself in those thoughts and tragedies and wonders and people he'd loved and lost and left behind.

He walked through the gates of the Uchiha compound, as much the captain of his own soul as he could be, and walked towards his house.

"Stay here," He said behind him as he stepped over the threshold. "It'll make things more complicated if you're there as well."

He entered his house quietly, removing his shoes, and followed the voices. He hadn't met anyone on the way here and few of the houses had lights on. Sasuke couldn't say he was particularly surprised by that, either; no doubt the clan was meeting right now.

He didn't even need to get close enough to listen to figure out what about.

He stopped outside the door anyway, however, deciding to wait and listen for now.

"—Can't believe this! The villagers won't even sell us food anymore!"

"So that's their plan then? To cripple us, lock us in here, and make us die slowly!?"

"Are you really surprised, Etsuko? You heard what those nurses said! They were considering throwing us out in the streets!"

"Hell, they all but did that! Kenji couldn't even walk when they pushed him out of the hospital to 'make room for more critically injured patients.' Naoki had to carry him home with one arm!"

"Quiet!" His father's voice commanded, silencing them all. "I know better than anyone what they are doing! Turning my eldest son against us and now Sasuke's missing too!? And apparently they don't have enough hands to search for a missing child anymore, if he's a Uchiha! I had to bribe the mission's office to hire a Genin team go look for my own son!"

His father paused, taking a breath. Sasuke didn't need to see them to know that his mother was probably standing beside him, trying to calm him down.

"We cannot let's this go," Fugaku continued. "We cannot take this lying down. What more will they do if we wait here and hide? I say we strike."

A stunned silence followed his words, stretching out for what seemed like minutes.

"Fugaku-sama, you can't seriously suggest that we continue with the rebellion!? You saw how trivially we were crushed!" One of his clan members asked.

"Better than staying here and waiting to starve, I'd say!" Another replied.

In moments, it was impossible to make out anything intelligible as the entire clan quickly descended into argument.

Sasuke took another deep breath and stood, lifting a hand to the door. If he wanted to succeed, now was the time.

Whether it was to save the Uchiha clan or bring it over to his side, he knew what he had to do.

So he opened the door.

In a flash, the clan fell silent, dozens of eyes riveting towards him. Trained ninjas, if now disabled, they were prepared both to attack and to defend, and more than one had drawn weapons.

"Sasuke!" His mother exclaimed, rising to rush over to him, but even as she wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her back, his eyes stayed focused on his father.

His father was the key, he knew. If the Uchiha clan was to be stopped, he had to convince his father that it needed to be. He didn't know how he could, but he had to if he was to keep his family safe.

And as the thoughts raced through his mind, it was like something was writhing in his heart, even as power, his power, flowed through him. It changed him in its passing; forced him to change. Some things twisted and others writhed, breaking and reforming as he reshape himself as he looked at his father, before stilling once more in its new configuration.

And in that moment, he knew exactly what he needed to do…and he was prepared for it. To crush his father's goal and force through his own agenda was suddenly all that he wanted to do, even as the love he'd always felt for his father twisted and broken and started to look something almost like hate but just as much like love, and suddenly what he'd never seen was plain before his eyes.

Oh, father, did you know? He thought. There are cracks all over your soul.