Blessings of the Twisting Eye
Chapter 1
"Tekka! Inabi!" Nothing. No cousin Tekka at the compound gate playing cards with the other guards and no icecream vendors who pretend they're my grandma. Where was everyone? The silence gives me the creeps. Maybe there was a clan meeting I'd forgotten about? Dad would be so disappointed if I was late. That had to be why…why else would the streets seem so dead?
To Naka Shrine, then. But first…I'd get there faster if I could drop my bag off. I ran towards Aunt Aiko's house, and pushed the door open. It was silent. I shrugged the bag off and bent to tighten my sandals. Huh. It was wet. Had someone spilled water…or ink? It was dark and smelled weakly metallic. My heart sped up. Was it blood?
Rustling through my bag, I grabbed the kunai set I'd taken to the Academy. Blunted though they were, I felt better with their weight. I licked my lips, mouth dry. "Aaunt Aiko? A-a-anyone home?" I called out. I heard a groan from her bedroom and froze. Could she be injured. I adjusted my grip on the kunai, ignored my trembling hands, and pushed the door open, dreading what I'd see. Blood. A dark puddle covered the floor, and my aunt lay in the middle in of it. It stunk of blood. I held my breath and moved slowly to her side, bending so I could hear if she was breathing.
I felt my body move as if in a dream, testing for a pulse just as the Academy had taught us. Who could have done this? Aiko hadn't been a Jounin but she'd had a Sharingan, and I could recall long afternoons of her patient hands guiding my own through stances when my parents were too busy. She was a shinobi, an Uchiha. No ordinary killer could—or even would—enter an Uchiha home.
Was the enemy still here? Panicked, I checked the room again. No one, not even a sound, only my frantic breathing and, I noted with faint disbelief, her faint breathing.
Her faint voice wheezes "Sasuke, come closer." How was she alive? I didn't dare touch it for fear of making it worse, but I could see the bright red wound where her heart was. We hadn't covered vital spots yet, but everyone knew being stabbed in the heart was deadly. This had to be a dream.
I inched closer. Her eyes opened, Sharingan spinning. The tomoe whirled and lengthened, twisted into a drawn out intricate spiral, before her right eye turned milky white and closed. Blood trickled slowly from it. I'd never seen an eye do that and something about it felt profoundly wrong. For an absurd moment I thought I felt my own burn, and touched it to reassure myself. Aiko's hand twitched and she gripped my hand with surprising strength, pulled me closer. A faint whisper, past my hearing. Get closer. I felt drops of blood dampen my ear as she whispered.
"Save us." Did that mean others were in danger too? Mom and dad…were they okay?
Long seconds pass as I rock back on my knees, and as my gaze tracks up, I catch sight of my cousin's cradle.
No no no no no.
I'm on my feet in a flash and I exhale in relief as I see my peaceful cousin. Akira doesn't seem injured; he's just resting quietly, swathed in dark pajamas. There's no time to waste, I've got to get him somewhere safe. Frantically but gently, I scoop him up, rest his head against my shoulder, hold him tight, and head for the door. My mom will know what to do.
In the twilight and as fast as I'm running, the streets are a blur. Past the first row of houses, past the clan fountain where fish gurgle among cool water—and all around me, my clan lies dead. I set Akira down gently against a wall, and distantly, as if in a dream, see his head flop backwards, neck gaping open like a gruesome flower. My hands are damp with blood—Akira's, I realize—and I need to clean them and be with mother and father and Itachi and be safe and wake up—and I'm running to my house, the largest in the district.
"Mother! Father!"
Beside my yells, all is silent. I'm running again, through the entrance, and towards my parent's room where they'll be smiling and tell me it's a dream and I'll be a great ninja like Itachi one day too.
They're lying in a pool, and Itachi stands with wet sword in hand, and then the world turns red and black and I see it all again.
I awake with a scream, heart racing and soaked in sweat, and above me the fan whirls clean and crisp. My mom enters a moment later, and I drink in her features, more clear than they've ever been, hugging her frantically, half sobbing, half laughing, since of course it's all dream. Even now the images are fading. I remember blood, overwhelming panic, and something red and black, twisting, wrong.
"Sasuke. Your eyes…" my father says, and I hug him too, hands stretching to hold them both, even if he's usually grumpy in the mornings.
I pull away, and I grin weakly at them. It was a dream, and it doesn't matter what I saw, because big boys don't cry from their dreams, Itachi doesn't, and I won't.
"its okay mother, father. I just…it was a bad dream. I'm sorry for waking you up," I say, and climb out of bed. Its earlier than my usual wakeup time, but its light enough to train, and I need to work some energy off. Nothing remains from my dream except the nervous energy. Father tousles my hair hesitantly, as if unsure, and smiles at me.
"It must have been quite a dream to awaken your Sharingan, Sasuke. Mikoto, I think he might be the first to wake them with nothing but a nightmare," he says, smiling at mother. Mother still hasn't let go of the hug, and usually I'd be squirming in embarrassment, but it feels...nice. I have a feeling she knows how shaken up I am, and she holds me tight till my trembling stops.
"We're very proud of you, Sasuke. To be only 8 and awaken your eyes is magnificent. If you can produce a Grand Fireball too, you'll be a full member of the clan," father says. I straighten my posture, look him in the eye, and give him my most serious nod.
"But not in mine. You'll always be my baby," mother says, tickling me till I'm wheezing and bent over. Even if he doesn't join in, I can see father smiling. How could I have been so scared? No dream could be that bad.
"Can I try it yet father? Maybe today?" I ask. I'm trying my hardest to stick between pleading and mature. It's hard. Father and mother glance at each other, and dad nods. Yes! I'll show them how good I can be.
"It goes like this: Tiger, Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger, and then you breathe out your chakra as smoothly as you can. Try the signs first, and then see if you can make one," father says. I take a moment to appreciate the attention father's giving me, the heady confidence I feel.
Upon the pier I move slowly through the signs. Deep breaths—in cold air, out hot air touched by chakra—the Uchiha mantra on my mind, "With my strength, I will reality." Across the lake I can see distant bugs buzzing through grass, the slow awakening of nature in the early hours of morning.
There. My chakra feels ready, the right balance of confident and tense. My hands move steadily, my breath is strong and I know the jutsu will be perfect before the first tongues of fire leave my lips. The ball of fire I make is as big as father's, shimmery with chakra in my eyes, and as it dissipates, leaves wafts of steam on the surface, water boiling under the surface. It felt…practiced, somehow, though I know I've never tried that jutsu out. I look to father, expectant.
"Good. You'll be as good as Itachi soon enough," he says, smiling broadly, "and since you've awakened your Sharingan too, we'll have the ceremony tonight."
I'm grinning ear to ear all the way through breakfast even though Itachi is still on a mission, and I step through the door with energy to spare even after my display this morning.
"Be at Naka Shrine by 7 tonight, Sasuke. Don't train too late," my dad says as I wave goodbye.
It's a good day. I keep my Sharingan activated all the way to school, and Konoha has never looked so vivid. From across the village I can make out the texture of the Hokage monument rock, the fine tracery of a leaf dancing on the wind, and the vague outlines of people's chakra. Sometimes I can see fast-moving ninja jumping from roof to roof, their jumps silent even as they move dozens of feet in seconds. I want to learn it all, and with these eyes, I know I can. Maybe I'll learn a cool new jutsu tonight at the ceremony, and the rest of the clan will see my eyes and Itachi will get home and we can train together.
By the time I get to the Academy I'm tired enough to let my eyes turn black again, so the school day starts off as usual. We review the 12 hand signs, going through the motions together, and I'm only barely paying attention. I'm a little puzzled: it almost felt like I'd practiced the grand fireball before this morning. It was so easy—I barely thought about what the signs were, my body moved on its own.
"Sasuke! Are you listening? We've been talking about the First Hokage. When did he die?" Is that Manabu-sensei? She never yells at me.
"Umm, 10 years after the founding of Konoha in battle, thought to be as a result of poisoning," I reply. I've heard the history of the village from my father every year, and besides that, whatever we're doing in the academy today is weirdly fresh in my mind.
"Very good. Now, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was Hashirama's brother, and protected his brother's legacy by starting many of Konoha's most important institutions. Who knows what they are?"
After we break for lunch we go over the signs again, and I'm sent to stand at the front of the class to demonstrate sequences for everyone. I pretend I don't like the attention, but I can't help the grin as I picture telling Itachi that I did so well I got to teach. We all let out a cheer as we break for spars, and line up to wait.
"First up: Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. "
They always pair the top of the class with the dead last, so I've fought him a bunch. He's not so bad at sparring but he always fails the tests, so he winds up at the bottom of the pile.
We nod at each other, make the Seal of Confrontation, and then square off. We're both grinning, and Naruto yells "Get ready to lose! I'll be the best ninja in the whole academy by the end of today!" I laugh it off, knowing it'll make him more angry than anything else, and let him charge. He's fast but sloppy, leaves holes in his defense, but knows how to take a hit, so I don't go easy on him.
He runs forward, punches with his right hand, and as my eyes change to red, I easily catch his fist. A pull towards me, he briefly stumbles forward, and I push him into the ground with my left hand, pulling his arm around his back to hold him down. I lightly press my knee into his back and he stops struggling. The fight takes brief seconds, even faster than I usually win. Is it the power of these eyes? Everyone is watching in awe.
"Sasuke. Naruto. Make the Unison Seal." We do, but Naruto scrunches his face up and yells,
"He only won 'cause of those freaky eye things. As soon as my eyes turn red, I'll win too!"
"They're Sharingan, idiot, and they're the bloodline of the Uchiha. There's no way you'll get them." I can't hold back my laughter. Is this guy for real?
He turns away, stomps back to his usual spot, and fumes as others praise me. He always takes things so personally, I don't know why.
"Sasuke, since you won, you'll fight Hinata next."
We make the Seal of Confrontation, and square off. Her eyes bulge as she activates her Byakugan, and her stance changes from the Academy standard. I'm excited for this match since she fights differently than most. Hopefully she'll be a challenge.
I start off this time. I sprint forward and feint with a punch, then sweep my foot under her. She ignores the punch and jumps over me, open hand coming down to hit my head—but I bat it away and kick her as she's off balance for a split second. She doesn't fall, but puts a hand down to catch herself as she bleeds the momentum into a roll, and I'm moving to strike from behind as she's turned away. There's no way she'll see it in time.
She catches it anyway—her Byakugan, of course!—but I'm already pulling her back as she's spinning to face me and with a blur (to their eyes but not to mine) I'm on top of her, hand pressing her face in the ground as gently as I can. I'm not mean when I spar—just a winner.
"Sasuke wins. Nice job, Hinata," Manabu-sensei says, and I help Hinata up. She nods her thanks, avoiding eye contact, and we make the Unison Seal. My eyes go black again. I hear my classmates trying to talk to me but I'm too caught up in the rush of winning to really hear them. I've never lost a spar before but they're usually harder—today I felt like I was moving so much faster and cleaner. I couldn't wait to show father how good I was.
Mindful of my dad's warning this morning, I walk quickly back home from the academy, wash for tonight, and put on my formal clothes, Uchiha fan proudly emblazoned on my back. Father and Mother walk on either side of me, smiling proudly, and we make our way through the oldest parts of the Uchiha district to Naka Shrine, electric lights and modern apartments giving way to the old-fashioned homes built during the initial settlement of Konoha. I've always loved coming here with my family—the Hyuuga and the Uchiha are the only clans to really preserve their historic sites.
My close family is gathered there—not Itachi or Shisui, busy as they are on missions—but my cousins and uncles, 4-year old Keisuke who blushes when her mom pushes her forward to congratulate me and more. There's got to be at least 15 people here, all chatting and smiling, shaking my hand, and when I'm not paying attention, ruffling my hair with a grin. Aunt Aiko is there too, but she seems distracted by Akira's crying so I just nod a greeting.
"Nice job, kid. You've awakened it earlier than anyone except for Itachi or Shisui. Took me a lot longer," Inabi says. I feel a rush of pride, the unspoken confirmation of my abilities. He's not as cool as Itachi, but he's a police officer like my father, and was a Tokebtsu Jounin before that.
"Thanks. I won my spar with Hinata Hyuuga today really fast. I'll be a police officer in no time." I say. He bumps by fist, and makes his way over to my dad, leaning in to talk quietly. Its nice to see my family around me. The clan has been stressed lately—father says the police caseload has been higher than usual—but here everyone looks happy, dressed in their finest kimonos, and snacking away at the food mother has prepared.
A hand pokes my side, and I can't help the giggle, but I scowl and turn. I'm not a kid anymore! Izumi is there, smiling. She pokes my cheek, makes a funny face and I finally grin. She's nice—she always bring me tomato snacks even if everyone else thinks they're gross—but she always treats me a like a baby. I'm a little surprised to see her—usually I only see her when Itachi is around. Maybe…
"Is Itachi here, Izumi? Did he come with you? Are you with him?" I ask, trying to see if he's hiding somewhere. Now that I have my Sharingan, there's no way he'll sneak up on me!
"Nope, just me Sasuke. I can visit you without Itachi being there too, you know." She says. Is she…blushing?
"Izumi… are you blushing? You can't hide your feelings from my eyes!" I ask. He's definitely hiding somewhere if Izumi is here. It's got to be a joke they're playing. Her blush deepens, and she pretend shoves me away.
"Sasuke, stop saying that! We're just friends. " she retorts. What is she talking about? Obviously they're friends.
"So he's not hiding somewhere? I thought you and him were playing a joke on me." I say.
"Oh. I thought you meant—well, never mind that, I don't know where he is. I just wanted to wish my cute little baby Sasuke congratulations for his eyes!" she says, and I give her my fiercest look. She's making fun of me again! She spots Akira and goes after him. I sigh in relief. No more teasing. She's holding Akira now, cooing as he gurgles happily away. Aunt Aiko makes her way over to me, smiling as she sees me. With a start, I realize her right eye is covered by a patch. Has that always been there?
"Aunt Aiko, what happened to your eye?" I ask, and my voice doesn't tremble as her spinning wrong eye flashes before me.
"I'm not sure, Sasuke. I must have strained it somehow. I'll be going to a medic soon enough, but I wanted to be here for the ceremony. I'm sure it'll be fine." she says, her smile tightening, and I regret bringing it up. It must be embarrassing to have to cover one's eye.
We chat about Akira for a minute before Father's voice booms out. Everyone quiets down, and I approach him, kneeling in front of him on the mat. The ceremony begins.