Disclaimer: Not mine. There'd be more KakaIru if it were. Less reason to hate Sasuke. And more Jiraya, dammit!
748-word drabble?
Thanks for reading. Un-betaed. Any and all comments/criticism/thoughts/random outbursts are welcome.
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Sacrifice.
That was what the Sharingan was all about, in the end. For the first stage of the Sharingan, you sacrificed yourself for a friend in battle, because it is when you most need speed and clarity of vision. A friend is your precious person. Kakashi was a better teacher than you thought. A friend was a precious person, and your precious person – though you'd never admit it that way – was a team-mate. And team-mates don't let each other die. Not like that. So you called on all you had, and tried to save your precious-person-teammate. Some saviour.
For the second stage, you sacrificed time, effort and trained damn hard to enter the Blood Limit guest list. Very exclusive group, they were. You needed to prove yourself worthy by overcoming what you would later realise to be the Sharingan's weakness. You needed in to that group. For some reason, you need to get stronger and increasing your strength meant you had to sacrifice more. A greater sacrifice, to prove you were sincere. As with all religions, the worshipped demand great tributes from their most devout. You need to prove you are worthy. You need to prove, that all you need is your God. You cannot afford to be tied down by anything else. Not material possessions – which you never cared for anymore anyway. Not life – you don't need to live to actually be happy. And most certainly not friends. If you rely on them, where would there leave your God? No, your God is a selfish, demanding God – as all Gods are wont to be.
And after attaining the fabled Mangekyou, there just isn't anything left to sacrifice. You'd given up your life and then killed your soul and your morals. You've become an empty vassal that houses another demon – a killing machine. You have proven yourself to your merciless God.
Was it all worth it, to make sure your brother had time enough to take notice of you and for you to make the elite list of that chi-chi club?
A club that is now party of one?
Some fancy shindig eh? Sure, the venue is grand, the service superb and the food divine. The conversation is lacklustre and the atmosphere somewhat dead, but hey – the guest-of-honour isn't late. The guest – the only guest – is early too. So it all started slightly earlier. You've paid your dues as a Genin, waiting for indeterminate lengths of time. Kakashi was a better teacher than you had thought.
By the way, I heard you accomplished your life's dream. Congratulations. Sure, you had to make some tough choices, big sacrifices and all that – but who doesn't eh? It was all worth it, to finally have that voice in your head shut up, and the heavy burden dissipate. You gave a detailed accounting to your Respected Dead, detailing everything. They'll be proud of you now won't they? Won't they?
Wasn't there another path? Isn't there another version of the Sharingan you could have opted for? Did you need to be a carbon copy of the brother you despised? Was it necessary to become the one you hated? Shouldn't you know by now that he lies? He has always lied and then flicked your forehead. Power isn't what he says it is. He wasn't waiting for you to get stronger by following him – you'd only be in his shadow. You look like a shadow – a pale imitation, actions puppet-like. He was waiting for you to prove him wrong. Show him another way. The other road, where you carved your own path.
What is it with you and curses and seals anyway? So you got the short straw. It doesn't mean you self-perpetuate. Just because you have a blood-limit doesn't mean you can't break out of it when you want. You're a genius, dammit. You're supposed to have elevated, more refined – better control of your brain. Unless you're an idiot savant. Life isn't all about sacrifices. Sometimes it's about being selfish and enjoying each day as it happens, taking your own sweet time to do things your way. Sometimes the sacrifice is too big, and you can attain the same goals in a different way. Because when you make sacrifices, you aren't alone in making sacrifices. Because Kakashi was a better teacher than you ever imagined, and you still have your team-mates to consider.
Because sacrifice and the Sharingan are one and the same, but it also means you can choose what you sacrifice.