This is a work of fanfiction. Naruto does not belong to me in any shape or form. Suing me, is counterproductive, as I own nothing, and unfortunately have nothing but a small apartment to my name. Cheers, and enjoy my tale.
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Near the southwest border of Hi no Kuni and the Land of Rice Paddies, Uchiha Itachi, tattered, bruised and beaten, stood shakily, head bowed, palms resting on the cool floor of night. Resolution, he thought. He must keep it. He wouldn't die here, he couldn't. How was he to escape, however? Perched upon the top of the spire was…something. It couldn't be a man; this… thing was unlike anything he had ever faced in his lifetime. He had just killed his father, undoubtedly a very powerful man, leaving Konohagakure in shambles and on the verge of civil war, and this... man, had managed to make him appear as if he were a child. How humiliating. To think, I will be dead not twelve hours into my promising future as a nuke-nin.
He had failed his village. He had failed his sensei, his idol, his Hokage. Eliminating the clan proved to be too much. Even with a squadron of the elite, he was unable. If Hatake Kakashi hadn't driven off Shishui, he would have been cut down. "Too many…there were too many." He muttered in between wheezes of breath.
A scowl flashed across Jiraiya's face, "What was that, Itachi-kun? Something about life and death and its meaning, perhaps?"
Great, now he was being mocked.
Low on chakra, he once again forcibly opened the Initial Gate and activated his sharingan. Damn. He winced at the sharp tug he felt from the strain. Why aren't I dead yet? "I would prefer to keep living, if it were all the same to you, Jiraiya-sama."
He hadn't expected for the others to arrive that night.
Jiraiya smirked, "tsk-tsk, itachi-kun. Surely not after all the death?" itachi blinked, he registered a brief flicker of energy. It wasn't chakra. Shit. He mentally chastised himself, realising that Jiraiya had moved, oddly, but he did. He felt a large calloused hand flex around his neck before he registered Jiraiya's proximity. Being bodily lifted to his feet, he was then deposited in a sealing matrix he had been attempting to avoid throughout this little skirmish. He had met the Toad Sannin Jiraiya a grand total of two times. Yet still, the sheer size of this man astounded him. Not that he could even manage the dignity of raising his head high enough to look his killer in the face. He settled for coughing up blood on his Geta sandals.
A kick to the abdomen brought him to his knees once again, struggling to maintain what little composure he had left. He failed when Jiraiya activated his sealing matrix, and felt white hot lances of fire burning through his veins. His muscles tensed, and he felt his bowels expunge themselves of their contents against his will. Blood vessels popped in his eyes and the previous tug became a sharp stab, throbbing and pulling and tearing. He couldn't close them, he couldn't remove them, but he saw. He saw his failures, he heard his orders, and he heard things he didn't quite understand. Suddenly it was over, his taut muscles relaxed, and he sunk completely to the floor. The clicking of sandals alerted him to the approach of his oppressor. His pride stung more than he wanted to admit, and a rage that he hadn't felt since becoming ANBU took hold of him. He insults me, announcing his approach in such a manner…bastard.
Jiraiya spoke while pacing around the youthful blood-master, "you knew your assignment, boy. Then you ran from me. I don't like it when children think they can run from me. Why do you insist on making me punish you in such a manner? Have you seen your mistakes? The flaws in your movements, and in your battles? Fugaku was to remain alive, Uchiha Itachi. He may be dead, but you know who will take his place, and that tiresome faction of your clan will once again take the helm."
Itachi heard the Sannin sigh as the seal matrix began to dissipate. "There was no choice, when they arrived, Aoba-kun was unable to complete the array around the wall. There was a traitor, Jiraiya-."
He received a snort in return. With derision in his tone, levelling a glare at the young shinobi, Jiraiya said, "We know there was, Itachi-kun. Unfortunately, you will be unable to return to the village."
I know that, you fool of a man, he thought. He was just regaining his bearings, yet the last vestiges of Jiraya's fuuinjutsu remained. He stilled when he heard the rustle of cloth, then saw the Sannin's large hand place a nondescript scroll on the floor next to his face. "You will rendezvous with the remainder of Alpha Platoon and Epsilon Squad 4-A at the location on the scroll. The rest you can read yourself. In 3 hours it will burn, Itachi-kun, so be sure to recover soon, Ne?" Jiraiya smirked down at his temporary charge, "Cheer up, Sandaime-sama has personally informed me that he will be seeing you soon, Itachi-kun."
With that Jiraiya moved again in that odd way of his, it certainly isn't Shunshin no Jutsu, whatever it is. As he continued to stare up at a grey sky that promised rain, Jiraiya's silhouette once again came into view, a grave expression on his face, "Konohagakure needs you yet, Itachi-kun. Be ready, there are more pieces in this game than we thought." Then he was gone once again.
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Did they all stop? Why is it so quiet all of a sudden? Maybe I should head to the cemetery, no one ever goes—
Uzumaki Naruto came to a dead stop. He was in the Central District of the village, in Sector 12, only a few hundred feet from the Hokage Tower. It was chaos. The village was being destroyed and he didn't understand what was going on. Death was not something the he completely understood, but he still gagged when he saw the bodies strewn about. They always do talk about Gods and the afterlife a whole lot at the academy. Where are the bastards now?
A few hours previous, he had been in his apartment when the first explosion sounded. He climbed out of his window and darted through the alleys towards the Hokage Tower before he heard IT again. It screamed and wailed and pounded against his skull in a way it never had before. His vision wavered and he was flung back as another explosion rocked a building to his right, rolling to a stop against the wall of another. He slowly climbed to his feet as crowds of people darted around, lost in the same confusion he was, fleeing every which way. Their faces flashed into view, alight with the light of the flames that burned the buildings and tarps of the market, covered in soot and dirt, tears streaking through as they sought out loved ones. He couldn't hear them though. Nor could he hear the explosions either. IT was so loud, and so painful, and he hated it. He wanted to rip its throat out and stuff it back down its mouth and…..and…wait, it stopped?
His knees buckled suddenly and he slumped against the wall, clutching his head. Whatever IT was, it reasserted itself as tears welled up in his eyes and he began to plead. Stop it! I have to get away, I have to go! STOP SCREAMING! He knew that it wouldn't. It never answered him, responded to anything he said or did. Well, except for a few things, really. Those bastards with the red eyes everyone loved so much, and when there was blood, and bodies, and sadness, and despair, and weakness. It loved weakness, and it tormented him with it every night when he went to bed. He'd never told anyone, and unbeknownst to him, was starting to go a bit mad as a result.
He rolled over onto his back, writhing, and was nearly trampled by panicked citizens. The breath left his lungs and then wouldn't come back, his hands retreating from his head and wrapping around his throat, his eyes dilated and blood-shot. He felt someone grip his front and then an odd sensation pulled, ripped, tugged, and he was suddenly on the floor, staring into blood red irises, shuriken spinning within. IT suddenly stopped, and oxygen rushed through his lungs, his gasping filling the quiet setting.
A rasping voice whispered through panting breaths, "have you regained your senses, Uzumaki Naruto?"
He whipped his head around, backpedalling until his back hit the wall. "Who-who the hell are you? Why did you bring me here?"
What the hell? He stopped IT? He stopped IT?! He's one of those red-eyed bastards, he has to be, how did he-?
"My name is unimportant, that you remain safe however, is. We've been waiting for this opportunity Uzumaki-san, I've wanted to speak with you for some time."
With that the man removed his hood, and confirmed what he had been thinking. He was one of those red-eyed bastards. That pale skin and angular face, and oddly black eyes that reflected nothing. He took a moment to survey their surroundings. It was obviously some sort of home. And since the explosions were dull and muffled, he presumed they must be in another District of the village, maybe the 8th?
"Can I leave?" he ventured.
A smile formed on the face of this mysterious man, "don't be so hasty, Uzumaki-san. You don't want to be injured in the chaos would you? Besides, we have another guest that will be joining us soon. Ah, here he is now".
As he watched, something that Naruto would never forget occurred in the house that night. A space in the room to the man's left twisted and turned in on itself, and another cloaked figure appeared. An orange mask adorned his face, twisted just as his arrival had been. Terror filled his heart, hackles rising, knowing instinctively whoever this was, was a very dangerous individual.
The mask turned on an angle, and he caught a flash of the eye within the single hole. It was aimed right at him.
"Hello Naruto-kun. It's been so very long since I saw you last. Come now, up off that floor. We have much to discuss, and so very little time to do so."
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He didn't understand much of what the man had told him. He knew that they were both ninja, and that they both knew something about IT. They had told him that he had no choice but to become a shinobi, and a good one at that. They said IT would leave him alone so long as he worked towards that end. Talk of battles and wars ensued, and he was suddenly lost in the ramblings of a man that spoke as if he was hundreds of years old, yet stood as a young man. He couldn't remember much of what else they spoke about. He thought the man was a liar. A good one, too.
He still didn't understand. Those eyes had flashed a few times more, and suddenly he was outside lying on his back, in sector 12 of district 8, staring at the ninja whose appearances flashed in and out of view. The explosions that had occurred with such frequency now were random and spaced out affairs in what sounded like the far eastern District of the village. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and rested his back against one wall at the mouth of the alleyway. His head hurt, and he felt much more exhausted than he ever had in his life. He idly attempted to wipe the dust and dirt that had accumulated on his face off, and caught the flash of something from the corner of his eye. Another ninja appeared, and this time, much closer than he had first thought. His eyes widened, and he suddenly didn't think he was seeing straight. Pushing himself up with one hand, Naruto took one slow step after the other towards the street, eyes darting left and right. He fixed his gaze back towards the ninja and confirmed what he thought was a hallucination. An elite. It's an ANBU!
Konohagakure was the largest hidden village of the great five. It boasted a large civilian population, which most hidden villages were not willing to harbour. Kumogakure for example, did not have a single civilian denizen that was not trained in taijutsu, and citizens of Sunagakure were notorious for their masterful use of poisons and traps. Konohagakure was certainly an exception to common practise among ninja towns. More of a city than a village, Konoha, due in part to the large population, required an equally large ninja corps, at least, marginally. It was common for ninja to be seen, both in and out of duty. Despite this fact, not many ever saw the elite; the ANBU. Besides the Hokage and his personal guard, it was common knowledge that they were the strongest of the village, and the most mysterious as well. And judging from the way that this snake-masked ANBU was clutching their side, dark splotches dotting the armour, an appearance for his sake alone wasn't by choice.
The ANBU suddenly turned towards him, "come here, boy." An androgynous voice reverberated.
Naruto scurried over as fast as he could, kneeling beside the ANBU, "Hai, ANBU-sama, how can I help?"
He heard the ANBU scoff, "That is yet to be seen. I am simply here to ask you a question. Has anyone approached you this night? Speak quickly, boy"
Naruto paled momentarily, rushing out his answer, "Yea, two ninja, they took me to this house, and I woke up here, and I didn-" the ANBU suddenly raised their hand, signalling silence that Naruto heeded.
The ANBU looked off into the distance, towards what Naruto thought was the Administrative Building, before turning to him again, "Tsk, shit. Stay here, your instructor will rendezvous at this location shortly."
"Oi, wait, what the hell does rendev—" He blinked, and the ANBU was gone. Before he could think of anything further, his sensei appeared before him.
A grave expression adorning his face, he spoke, "Come, Naruto. I've been searching for you for far too long."
"Iruka-sensei! You won't believe what happened—",Naruto began as his sensei grasped his arm and hoisted him onto his back.
"Not now, Naruto. We must head to the bunkers. The village is in full lockdown. We are under attack, Naruto. Whatever happens from this point on, your path as a ninja has been decided for you and your classmates." To Naruto, his sensei's countenance suddenly seemed much sadder than it had a few moments ago.
"Why, Iruka sensei?" He was confused. Looking off into the distance as his sensei took to the rooftops, he could see a wide swath of the western side of the village in ruins, fire and smoke patterning the area in a sea of black and red. The silhouettes of ninja and civilians scattering about, the screams and cries of the wounded, lost, and panicked reaching a sharp crescendo amongst the terror that he was beginning to feel.
Eyes flickering towards his charge momentarily, "Because Naruto, we are at war."
With that, Iruka continued North towards the mountains, chakra accelerating his pace.
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Fuck you, Uchiha Itachi.
This was the predominant thought running through the mind of Uchiha Shisui as he darted through the western forests of Hi no Kuni. He could hear the faint sounds of his clansmen around him as they fled their former home, and the family members that had betrayed them. He cursed as he thought of his mother and father, fingering the kunai that he couldn't end them with and reminiscing of the looks on their faces as he turned to engage the ANBU that had penetrated their estate.
I will have your head Itachi, I promise you that, traitor.
They were coming upon their clan grounds, the large wall that surrounded the compound coming into view in the distance. It was used as a military basin, the leaders of the clan refusing to part with it at the time of the founding of the village. No more than two squadrons of Konoha ninja acted as guards for the compound; mix of both clan personnel as well as non-clan ninja. He could see those ninja being piled atop a pyre; their equipment stripped, laid out nearby. As he neared the wall and simultaneously the pile of bodies to be burnt, he saw someone he did not want to see so soon. His stomach churned as he made the final leap from the treeline and landed a few paces away from the kunoichi, seeing her turn towards him.
"Ah, Shisui, it took you long enough to get here. I do hope you didn't forget the scroll in your haste to arrive" she intoned.
He immediately took a knee and bowed his head in deference, "No, Mikoto-sama, Toshihiro-san was given the scroll as I attempted to—", he momentarily raised his head to glance at her, "To end Itachi."
He heard her sigh as she turned to face him, a look of impatience adorning her features, "and why would you ever try such a thing, Shisui? That boy and his fate have already been decided. While I am sure that you are capable, it is neither the time nor the place for revenge." She glanced at her finger nails, eying the red paint that covered them, "We needed the scroll, now that you are here, go and make your preparations. We will be leaving shortly" with that she vanished, leaving him on bended knee.
He released a breath he was unaware he was holding, standing up, glancing at the pyre of his brethren and former comrades briefly. He hated speaking to that woman. He hated being around her more than any other man in the clan, most likely. He never felt the familial bond he did with most of the others, nothing more than cold indifference. She was a very powerful matriarch, perhaps even more so than Fugaku, now that he gave it a thought. Now more than ever, he felt a great deal of doubt and suspicion towards Uchiha Mikoto. She was brewing something, something with the others in mind. He had seen her during the battle. How close she had been to the members of that faction that had aided in their escape. And how easily she could have gone to grasp the scroll she so wanted him to take.
She doesn't give a shit about our family.
Turning, he gestured for the few ninja around the pyre to step away. Holding his left hand in a partial tiger seal, he intoned, "Goukyaku no Jutsu"
The globe of fire exploded upon impact, lighting up the surrounding area, bathing the night with the glow of a burning flame and filling their nostrils with the stench of cooking flesh. He watched for a few more seconds, uttering a faint prayer for his dead kin before making his way to the front gate of the compound, determined to exact his retribution, and rebuild a home for his family upon the ashes of Konohagakure and its ninja.