[A/N]: I am doing yet another young Sasuke/Itachi story seeing that my previous one was such a success, now remember everybody I am very busy juggling boht 12th grade work and college, but I'll make you all a deal, the more reviews and PM's I receive, the sooner the next chapter will come out. I hope you all enjoy it and that it will be as, if not more, successful that my last one, "Tear Stained Scars."
Please Leave Reviews and Enjoy ^^
Somewhere deep within the Land of Fire, there was a well off ninja village. As the morning sun and the evening moon were greeting each other in the blue starry sky above them, two of these said ninja were conversing atop a stone ledge, far away from the eyes and ears of Kohona.
Looking out over the expanse of the forest and river from where he stood, Itachi Uchiha, dressed in his ANBU uniform and equipped with his katana stood less than a foot from the edge as his mentor and elder stood nearby. The air was heavy as their conversation had hit a low moral point for that of the officer. Madara proposed that he do the unthinkable and murder all of his clan, down to the last unborn child. If he accepted, the older renegade Uchiha would assist him, if not, then his own life would be claimed by the nin's powerful techiniques. Both men knew this, but atleast Madara was giving him a chance to ponder his thoughts before making the lethal decision.
To kill his clan…..to spill the blood of those he has known for his entire life…..this was murder. What was a saving grace for him would mean a death sentence for them and vice versa. Before his eyes he saw all of those whom he called friends. Though they were few in number, they did matter deeply to him.
Then there were the innocents to think about……those young children who look up to him as if he were some sort of superior being or even a hero. Everytime he would return from a mission they would crowd around him, asking him many silly and frivilous questions. Of course he always took it with a smile as they greatly hampered him on the way home. Because of him they all wanted to grow up to be elite ninja, warriors for the village hidden in the leaves.
That is when a peircing pang hit him in the chest. Sasuke, his little buddy, his otouto. The child wanted nothing more than to be noticed, to be accepted….to be cared for. During their training exercises at first he admitted he would get quite annoyed with his foolish little brother. But over time he had grown quite fond of him. He saw the potential inside of the kid that no one else cared to bother searching for. He knew he had taken the spotlight away from Sasuke, he was the cause of the little one's life and wellbeing being put on the back burner of priorities in the household.
No…..he could not….especially not to him…….he deserved better than to have his young life snuffed out at such a young and tender age. But if he refused Madara's proposition…..what would happen to Sasuke…..would he finally get the attention from his parents that he craved and needed so badly? Or would he continue to be ignored and grow into a resentful but powerful young man? If he did not commit genocide on his family now…..his harmless little otouto might do it later.
"I accept." Those were the only words he could mutter with his heavy mind. "A very wise choice my student. Tomorrow, when the darkness comes, I will meet you here, and Itachi-" he stood right behind him then, the prodigy could feel his hot breath on his neck, the moisture was sticking to the strands of his silk-like hair. "Come armed and ready for a bloodbath." With a gust of wind the cruel old man was gone. For now.
Drawing out a deep, long sigh from his lips, Itachi looked into the direction of the disappearing moon. Outlined in it were the rooftops of his homevillage. He knew that at this moment the little boy that troubled his mind so effortlessly was sleeping soundly on his mat. Completely oblivious that he would not be alive by this time in a matter of mere hours, or atleast if Madara had anything to do with it.
Silently Itachi slipped into Sasuke's room, sliding the door closed behind him he pushed his white and red animal mask to the side of his head before kneeling down beside the sleeping child. The thought of this little one's blood being spilled…..either by his own sword or that of his newfound sensei's made him sick to his stomach and pained in his heart. Closing his eyes, he stayed as still as a statue for several moments as the gears in his mind worked at double capacity. Suddenly sharinghan-laden eyes popped open, no, he would go through with the massacre with the masked ones' help; but Sasuke shall be spared……..one way or another.
The red orbs of his eyes faded away back into their natural black iris' as the elder of the brothers gave the younger one a slight shake, his hand resting on his arm the childs large, dark eyes opened up slowly to look up at him to see who was disturbing his rest. 'N-Nii-sama?" his tired little voice croacked as his fist came up to rub the sleep out of his eyes and he leaned up. Finally abit more awake he wrapped his short arms around his big brothers' neck, Itachi returned the embrace.
"I missed you so much big brother." His voice was almost a cry as he rest his head on the officers' shoulder as he felt himself being lifted up as Itachi stood. "I missed you too otouto." With that he turned and left the room, Sasuke clinging to his waist and side as he took him to the clan gardens. They did this everytime he came home from a long mission, he knew that the raven-haired boy missed him so much every time he was gone, so whenever he returned he would sacrifice his own rest to spend time with his foolish little otouto.