Welcome to my muti chaptered ItaIzu story! I've wanted to do this forever, and I hope you enjoy. I'll begin each chapter by stating what POV it will be in. In this case, I've placed Izumi's name in bold. Enjoy!
I don't own Naruto.
Izumi
If Izumi Uchiha were a pessimist, surely she would have noticed something was terribly wrong the moment she walked through Konoha's gate. As she strolled leisurely towards the welcoming booth, the air seemed much too still and quiet for such a beautiful day. Even the high-pitched songs of the blue jays were nowhere to be found. Despite that, the brunette haired girl shrugged it off, simply happy to be back home.
'Maybe it's just one of those days,' she thought.
She hadn't expected to be sent out on a mission a few days prior, but Lord Third had insisted that her skillset made her the best girl for the job. While she was sure he was just trying to flatter her, she appreciated his kind words all the same. The mission had been simple enough, and now all she wanted to do was deliver her report so she could relax.
Unfortunately, as she reached the welcoming booth and saw the look on the attendant's face, she realized relaxation may not be in her immediate future.
The man at the welcoming booth was a chunin who appeared to be in his early twenties. Izumi couldn't help the feeling of dread that creeped up her spine as he gazed at her with what she could only describe as pity. Putting on an uneasy smile, the brunette gave a polite bow, which the man didn't return.
"Aa, Izumi-san. Welcome back. Your presence is requested at the hokage tower immediately."
The Uchiha raised an eyebrow at him. "I was planning on stopping by there right away to give Lord Third my mission report. Is everything okay?"
Coughing uncomfortably, the attendant couldn't seem to look her in the eye as he said, "I can't say anymore. Please make your way to the hokage tower. Everything will be explained there."
Izumi didn't bother saying anymore, instead opting to break out into a sprint towards the hokage tower. Whatever was going on sounded serious, and she couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. Why couldn't the attendant say anything about it? Why'd he have to go and worry her?
As she sprinted through the village square, she couldn't help but notice the stares and hushed whispers sent her way as the villagers eyed the Uchiha crest on her back.
Perhaps it was nothing serious after all, and she was simply being paranoid. She did have a tendency to work things up in her head, only to have it not be a big deal.
'Maybe my cat got out again. Or, maybe Mom set the kitchen on fire again. Oh, man. I really hope our house didn't burn down. That woman never could even boil water without burning it.' Izumi thought, turning a corner and entering the tower.
Despite wanting to sprint towards the office, Izumi composed herself and calmly walked through the building, looking straight ahead as she did so. She didn't need anymore weird looks from people making her conjure up ridiculous thoughts.
Stopping outside of the door, the brunette gave a courtesy knock and took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside.
The first thing Izumi noticed was that there were numerous members of ANBU present. She glanced between all of them to see if her friend Itachi was among them, but no such luck. Despite the ever present chill she felt, Izumi smiled politely and approached the desk. Lord Third dismissed the ANBU members, though the brunette knew at least a couple of them would likely lurk in the shadows due to protocol.
"Good to see you made it back safely, Izumi. I trust your mission went smoothly?" Lord Third inquired, gesturing for her to take a seat.
Reaching into her shinobi pouch, the brunette retrieved a scroll and placed it on the desk in front of her before taking a seat. "That's correct. I was able to blend in with the civilians and gather the intel you asked for. Nothing out of the ordinary happened."
Lord Third reached for the scroll and set it aside, which Izumi assumed meant that he'd go over it later on. An uncomfortable silence overtook the room, making the brunette feel the urge to squirm in her seat. She steeled her nerves and forced herself to look the hokage in the eyes.
"Forgive me for being blunt, Lord Third, but it doesn't seem like you've requested my presence just for a mission report. Is there something else going on here?"
The older man cleared his throat awkwardly, perhaps to stall and figure out what to say. Letting out a sigh, he decided to simply get on with it. There was no easy way to say it.
"Perceptive as usual. You are correct, Izumi. There has been a very unfortunate incident. Last night, the Uchiha clan was slaughtered."
With those words, her world shattered. Time stood still. She let out a horrified gasp, her eyes wide in alarm. The Uchiha clan, slaughtered? Just what did that mean, exactly? How many had been killed? Who could have done such a thing? Most importantly, was her mother okay? What about her friends Itachi and Sasuke?
"W-What!? How!? Why!? Is my mother okay? What about Itachi-kun and Sasuke-chan!? Oh gosh, please tell me they're alright!" Izumi exclaimed, completely panicked.
"I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid your mother did not survive. Sasuke is okay. It would seem that the only survivors are Sasuke and yourself. Itachi… was the perpetrator. He massacred the entirety of the clan except for you two, and then left the village. He is now considered a missing-nin. We are not sure where he is."
Izumi couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was absolutely no way. She felt hot tears well up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Her mother was gone, and she'd never see her again. She'd never see most of her clan again. In just a few short moments, her world had been destroyed. Now Lord Third was saying that Itachi was the one who committed such a terrible act? There was absolutely no way. Her friend… No. The boy she loved, would never do such a thing. There had to be some sort of mistake.
"How… How do you know Itachi-kun did this? Were there witnesses? Maybe he escaped!"
The words sounded ridiculous even to her own ears. Itachi was no coward. The Itachi she knew wouldn't have left Sasuke to fend for himself against a mass murderer. There were only two options as to what could have happened. Either Itachi would have stayed and fought off the attacker, whether he lived or died. Or…
Or, Itachi really was the perpetrator, and spared Sasuke for some reason.
"We haven't been able to speak with Sasuke in depth yet, but he is the witness. The boy was passed out when he was found. From what we've been able to gather, Sasuke found Itachi standing over their parents. It appears he was put under the Tsukuyomi, which being an Uchiha yourself, I'm sure you've heard of."
Izumi felt tears spilling down her cheeks, but she made no move to wipe them. She was simply stunned and heartbroken. It was a good thing she was sitting down, or she likely would have fallen to the ground in despair. She put her head in her hands and let out a choked sob, the weight of everything finally sinking in.
As her body shook with sobs, head still in her hands, she heard Lord Third get up from his chair and walk over to her. He placed a comforting hand on her back, seemingly unsure of what else to do. Honestly, what else could be done in such a situation? Even so, Izumi was grateful for his attempt at comforting her, even if it did next to nothing to ease her pain.
What Izumi didn't understand was just why someone like Itachi, who detested violence, would carry out such an act. She knew that he'd been stressed out over work, and he'd become distant lately. Not to mention the fact that his best friend Shisui had passed away, and Itachi had been accused of his murder. Back when it'd first happened, Izumi immediately dismissed the thought of the raven having killed Shisui. But now after what just happened, she was beginning to have her doubts. How could she not?
She was broken out of her thoughts by the door swinging open violently, and what appeared to be a nurse running into the room. Izumi looked up as Lord Third removed his hand from her back in order to turn towards the intruder.
"I am very sorry to interrupt, sir. But, Sasuke Uchiha is missing! His hospital bed was empty when we went to conduct our hourly checkup!" the nurse exclaimed, panting from the sprint over from the hospital.
Lord Third let out a tired sigh, but didn't appear to be surprised by the news. "I see. Thank you for letting me know. I will send someone out to look for him."
Seemingly satisfied by this, the nurse bowed and left the room.
"Let me go look for him," Izumi spoke up suddenly, standing up on shaky legs and wiping at her eyes.
"Do you know where he may have gone?" Hiruzen asked.
"I have an idea. I… think Sasuke-chan needs someone he's familiar with right now. And honestly, so do I. Please let me go talk to him. I'll bring him back to the hospital after I do," Izumi pleaded.
The older man nodded in agreement. "I understand. If you need any assistance, please let me know."
The brunette gave him a grateful look before turning on her heel and running out of the office. Sasuke needed her, and if her hunch was right, she wouldn't have to look far to find him.
Izumi could only hope she'd be able to handle what awaited her.
As Izumi neared the entrance to the Uchiha compound, her heart sped up so quickly, she could swear it would jump out of her ribcage. Anxiety setting in, the brunette focused on her breathing as she ducked under the police tape lining the entrance. She never imagined coming home to such an awful scene.
If Izumi had to describe the scene in front of her, complete and utter carnage were the only words that seemed accurate.
She took cautious steps forward, a sick feeling settling in her gut as she took in the pathetic attempts of cleaning up the aftermath. Dried blood spatter painted the ground and buildings a gruesome dark red. There were no weapons strewn around, and the brunette assumed they had all been collected as evidence. Even so, the torn lanterns and destroyed vendor booths told their own story. A chill ran up Izumi's spine, causing her to shake her head and pick up the pace to her destination.
Sasuke would likely be at his home, trying to make sense of everything. Trying to convince himself it was all a dream. She had to find him, had to comfort him.
Now, they were all they've got.
Izumi was so focused on finding Sasuke and ignoring the carnage surrounding her, that she almost missed her own home. She stopped in her tracks and gazed at the front porch, a chill running down her spine. It was only then that she allowed her thoughts to wander to her mother. Had she suffered? Was she frightened? Did she beg for her life? Had Itachi cared? Why would Itachi do such a thing?
All sorts of horrible scenarios ran through Izumi's mind, and she found herself beginning to shake uncontrollably. She tried her very hardest to focus on her breathing, but she simply couldn't get enough air into her lungs. Images of her mother curled up in a ball, begging for her life invaded the brunette's mind.
Without warning, Izumi bent forward and emptied the contents of her stomach. She heaved and coughed violently, suddenly feeling exhausted. When she felt a little bit better, she stood upright and wiped at her mouth as best she could. Taking a shaky breath, she continued forward, doing her best to shove all other thoughts from her mind.
It didn't take long for her to reach Sasuke's house. As she opened the door, an eerie silence was all that greeted her. No longer was Sasuke's home or the rest of the Uchiha compound warm and lively. Instead, it was desolate and uninviting. Izumi decided that she hated it.
"Sasuke-chan?" she called out, walking into the kitchen area.
No sign of Sasuke. She continued wandering around the home, until she turned a corner and heard what sounded like faint crying coming from behind a set of closed doors. The brunette frowned and took a deep breath, walking toward the source of the sound. The stopped in front of the doors and gave a quiet knock.
"Sasuke-chan? It's me, Izumi. I'm coming in."
Opening the door and stepping into the room, Izumi nearly fell apart at the sight that greeted her.
The young boy knelt in front of a chalk outline, seemingly of two bodies. He was alone in the dark, and though his back was to her, she could see his shoulders shaking with sobs. The brunette immediately rushed to his side and gathered him in her arms, turning away from the chalk outline. It was simply too much.
Sasuke didn't put up any resistance, and he laid his head on her chest, crying his heart out. If he wanted to say anything, he couldn't keep his composure long enough to get the words out.
The weight of everything that was happening finally caught up to Izumi as she held the crying boy, and the tears she'd held back on the way to him finally spilled over. It was true, then. Their clan was gone. Itachi was nowhere to be found. Lord Third had told her Itachi was the perpetrator. He'd really committed such an act.
"Sasuke-chan… I-I'm so sorry. We're… we're going to g-get through this," she promised through her own sobs.
Izumi only wished she could believe her own words.
Though if nothing else, she decided then that she would look after the boy in her arms. He needed her. And frankly, she needed him. Neither of them could do it alone.
The two stayed on the floor crying together for who knew how long. They'd figure everything else out later.
For now, the last surviving Uchihas needed to grieve.
Here's chapter one! This is really more like a prologue, I guess you could say. Next chapter will be a time skip, and we'll get to meet Itachi! If you enjoyed, please review and follow this story! Until next time.