Massacre of Peace
R. Winters
Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters or places owned by Kishimoto.
Found this old piece on my computer, and thought it was worth sharing. Takes place immediately following the Uchiha Massacre. My thoughts on trying to reconcile the supposed peace-loving Itachi with the boy who was willing to murder his entire clan. Let me know what you think!
He walked aimlessly, his feet carrying him forward mechanically as his mind attempted to pile layers of numbness over his aching heart.
O-tousan… you stupid man…
A throb of pain engulfed him at the unexpected thought of his father, and his steps faltered, coming to a stop as it washed over every part of him. He could see the man in his mind's eye. The dark, accusing eyes of the father he'd looked up to as a child.
"You have betrayed your clan," the voice was colder than he'd ever heard it, and he knew his father could no longer see him as his proud son. If he hadn't been slumped, exhausted on the floor, drained of energy by that man's attack, the boy knew he'd be as good as dead. "You've betrayed your family!"
"No…" He'd felt the need to defend himself, even against the despicable people who shared his blood. His eyes narrowed, red with the Sharingan and shining with tears he'd never let fall. "You're the one who betrayed us, o-tousan. You would have led us to ruin. I'm saving our family."
"Foolish boy!" The man snapped, his voice full of passion and hatred, "What do you expect to gain from this? What has that man promised you? Peace? Happiness? Some other foolish notion? You must know such things will always be beyond your grasp! You will be a marked man after this. You will be killed."
"… I know," he replied calmly, "I… look forward to it."
His father's eyes had been mad with anger, and his knuckles tensed around the hilt of the sword he held, ready to finish things if the man made a move. His mother's voice cut in before his father could say or do anything else. The imploring tone of the only woman he ever loved was even worse than the hate ringing clear in his father's voice.
"Itachi, you've seen the way the villagers treat us. You know that we are not in the wrong. Why do you throw your life away for those that hate you? Everything we've done has been for you."
He grit his teeth, pushing his emotions away, something he'd become woefully good at in the last year or two. Push them away so that no one can see his true colors. "That is why you're wrong," he said coldly, "For your selfishness… you will die."
The three of them had looked up at the sound of loud, clumsy footsteps closing in on the door, and then a thud as a soft weight tumbled into the wall. A second thudding noise as the door handles were grasped violently.
Itachi tore his eyes away from the door to look at his parents again. His father's eyes gleamed with the expectation of victory and his mouth opened, ready to pit son against son with just a word.
His sword flashed and the sound fell dead before it ever had the chance to leave his father's mouth. The bodies fell in front of him, hitting the floor with hollow thuds that reverberated in his chest and through his heart. But there was no time to mourn, because his brother was there and he had to move on to the next phase of the plan.
He locked his heart away with brutal efficiency and revealed himself, stepping out of the deep shadows to lock eyes with those of his brother. Those wide, agonized eyes, full of fear and desperation.
He could only stare, pain clawing at the barrier he'd erected around his heart. His younger brother stood in front of him. The boy he'd sworn to protect from the fear he'd grown up with. The boy he'd worked so hard for, to give a peaceful life to, since the day he'd first held the squalling infant in his arms.
And there was that fear in his eyes now, looking so much like Itachi had felt his entire life. And he'd put it there. He'd done this to him.
"Kaasan… Tousan… What… what's going on…?" The confused, desperate voice broke the teen out of his downward spiral and he erected a final barrier around himself, slipping into his carefully crafted persona to fulfill his purpose.
He would hurt him, his own brother. He would scar him as deeply as he could. He would make him live. There was nothing left for him. Nothing left for his brother. But the future of their clan would be secured, and they would live in peace.
"Sasuke…"
A sharp crack broke through the quiet of the night and a stinging pain formed on his face. He blinked several times and found himself looking into the cold, black eye of Uchiha Madara.
"Get a hold of yourself, brat," the man growled, abruptly turning his back on the boy, "Next time I'll leave you for the hunters to find."
Nodding shakily, he forced his legs to move again, tearing his mind away from the past. There was nothing he could do about it now. This was for the best, for Sasuke and for everyone else in the village.
"Where are we going?" His voice came out a little hoarse, but his tone was even, none of the pain and fear inside of him showing through.
Madara didn't even look at him, "Rain Country. I have some… friends there I know will want to meet you." A harsh laugh tore loudly from his throat, "The Uchiha who massacred his entire clan!"
It took every ounce of control Itachi had cultivated to keep from flinching. It was what he'd done, after all. He'd killed them. His orders didn't matter, he'd agreed to take the job. He'd asked to take the job. He hadn't wanted anyone else to lay a hand on his family.
"I think you'll like them," Madara said, and this time he did glance over his shoulder, "They're reckless kids like you, soul bent on creating peace, even if everyone has to die to achieve it."
Peace. The word sounded hollow as it bounced around in his head, an edge of mocking tainting the word he'd once held so dear. Could there ever be peace? It seemed to him... maybe it was just a fanciful imagination, after all. Something to be sought after in death, but never attained in life.
Madara's pace increased abruptly. He efficiently fueled chakra into his legs and followed. Soon his lungs were burning for want of air, and his legs stinging with pain, and his mind blissfully aware of nothing more than his physical discomfort as he pushed himself through his exhaustion.
Peace. He hadn't been able to find it, but perhaps his brother would, and it was this thought that kept Uchiha Itachi going.