Summary
Itachi Uchiha has passed chūnin and successfully ranked up to ANBU, taking one minuscule step closer to becoming Hokage and achieving his dream of peace. However, when the Uchiha clan's coup d'état surfaces and exceeds further than Itachi could ever expect, it threatens to interfere with not only his serene view of the future but the Hidden Leaf's future as a whole. When all problems seemingly come to a brief standstill, the looming presence of the Foundation suddenly uproots from deep in the shadows. With the constant support from Shisui Uchiha coming to an unexpected halt, Itachi's will for peace starts to subtly wane concerning the existence of Danzō Shimura and his dark organization. ItachiOC, Shinobi/Civilian.
Genre: Friendship/Romance/Angst/Tragedy/Family
DISCLAIMER: I'm not one for writing disclaimers at the beginning/end of every chapter, so this will be the only one written. I'm on a fanfiction website, it's pretty obvious I own zero canon information. So that being said, all and every OC belongs to me, and anything canon belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, respectively.
I originally had this posted a few months ago, but a document that held important information for this story got deleted because I didn't update it within the 90 days timeframe. I deleted it in a haste recently because I was upset, but I've gotten things sorted out now. Again. Please enjoy.
Will of Fire
01 ~ The Consequences of War Between Nations, Part One
Bodies littered the ground at every turn; dark red blood seeped out of the dead and soaked into the dry, rocky earth. Weapons lay scattered about, surrounding the brutal mayhem that took place only moments before. Enemies and allies alike, war discriminated against none. Leaf ninja and other nation's brethren lay together, still from death, pain and agony etched onto their faces.
A four-year-old Itachi looked on at the bloody scene before him, a range of emotions coursing through his chest. So this is... the Great Ninja War.
"Water, water!" A voice strained out. Itachi frantically searched for the owner of the voice in the sea of lifeless bodies, his eyes finally landing upon an enemy ninja holding his arm out in desperation. Itachi immediately ran forward, taking out his canteen and wrenching the lid off with his teeth. He watched as the man weakly drank his share of the water, then switched his gaze back to the endless amount of corpses around them. "Th-thank you." The man gasped out. Itachi felt sudden movement a second later, confusion sweeping across his mind as the man abruptly shot up with a kunai raised in the air. Acting out of instinct, he quickly got his own and sliced the enemy down with wide eyes.
Movement from behind got his attention, making him stand up and stare at the man that didn't hesitate to try to end his life.
"Father... Why did this shinobi try to kill me? I didn't do anything..." Itachi waited for a response, his heart pounding wildly and his emotions going haywire. It took all he was worth not to tremble in front of the watchful eye of his father.
"Because this is war." Came a terse reply.
"'War'?"
"It's not a war between people, it's a war between nations. That's why strangers kill each other meaninglessly." Fugaku further explained, staring at the man Itachi had just slain. This Hidden Stone ninja was the perfect example of the way the world currently functioned.
"Is that what it is?" Itachi faintly asked.
"That is what the shinobi world is," Fugaku switched his gaze to the back of his son. "Listen, Itachi. Never forget this sight."
"Uh huh." The four-year-old managed to mumble out.
Rows of shinobi stood in front of the Will of Fire Monument the next day, Itachi with his father and some clan members at the front. While everyone around them bowed their heads in respect, Itachi listened as his father and another man whispered among themselves.
"We managed an armistice, but the sacrifice was too great. Lord Third intends to take full responsibility and retire. There are voices in support of installing you, Captain, as the Fourth Hokage. Please-"
"Enough talk." Fugaku spoke low, eyes still closed.
The man grimaced and hesitated. "What should we do about Kakashi Hatake?" He managed to ask. "He doesn't belong to our clan, but he possesses the Sharingan."
"I understand Obito Uchiha fought bravely. Let's respect his wishes." Fukagu declared, stealing a glance at Kakashi who stood but a few feet away.
"We should bring the Sharingan back to the Uchiha."
"The war just ended. Do not sow seeds of discord."
With his urge dismissed, the clansman agreed to his captain's demand. "Yes, sir."
"We finally have peace, we will persevere to maintain it. That is the duty of the Uchiha."
oOoOo
"What is the meaning of life?"
"There is none." Orochimaru proclaimed, "There's meaning in life if it's eternal."
Itachi stood atop a cliff, hardly admiring the view that stretched out before him. His mind constantly played what the Sannin had told him instead, rewinding in his head over and over until he managed to vividly remember it by heart. There's no meaning in life? He hesitated for a moment, asking himself the question again. What is the meaning of life? Was there really none? What's the point in life if there's no meaning? His hesitation wavered as he walked to the very edge, peering down the cliff.
A second later he was free falling, the wind pushing and pulling around him. The loud caw! of a crow nearby made him open his eyes in alarm, then he twisted his body around as the crow flew past him, screeching again. The clashing and clanging of metal making repeated contact against the rocky wall scratched at his ears as he tried to gain control of his rapid descent, trying his best to avoid any dangers on his way down. After fighting with the kunai to stay embedded, he waited for the perfect time to jump off the cliff side and land on the uneven terrain, his clothes billowing harshly all the while.
No one wants to die, right? Itachi stared at the crow that followed him, sitting on his knees while the distinct trickling sound of the river flowed by softly. Already a few minutes had passed, the bird's beady eyes hardly blinking as Itachi stared it down. He was beginning to turn desperate for some kind of answer back to his silent, repeated question. The black bird jumped into the air and took flight as if meaning to break his whirlwind train of thought, and then dozens more appeared. They all cawed out persistently while swarming the now standing boy; he didn't react, just observed each one that flew by. Once they started to disperse, he held his arm out, not having to wait long for one to fly to him and land on his outstretched limb.
What is life, anyway?
A few months later, Itachi was walking home with his mom from the hospital. It was his second trip with her to the white stained, disinfectant smelling building, and a nagging feeling in his gut emerged the moment she came out of the examining room with a nurse recommending her stuff that he didn't particularly understand. The first time they came, they were in and out with a big smile on his mothers face the entire walk home. Though that smile remained the second time around, Itachi had to wait outside his mother's examining room for almost an hour.
"Mom..."
"What is it?" Mikoto asked.
"Are you sick?"
"Oh, it's nothing like that." She reassured, turning around to face the boy with a hand resting on top her stomach. "You see, you're going to have a little brother or sister." Itachi gave his mother a startled look, not expecting such news. "Yes, you're going to be a big brother." She said, bringing his head to rest on her protruding baby bump.
After a moment, Itachi began to speak. "Mom, I want a little brother."
Mikoto laughed, "But a sister would be cute too, wouldn't it?"
"I have a feeling it's going to be a little brother." Itachi remarked, keeping his head on her pregnant belly.
Snow began to fall, catching his mother's attention excitedly. "Oh! It's snowing." She exclaimed, watching in glee as the flakes floated softly down. "It will be born in the summer."
Winter came and went, leading the seasons into summer, and ultimately, to the moment when Itachi Uchiha would officially become a big brother. He had been anticipating this day since his mother told him she was with child, and watching her stomach expand to great lengths had left him almost impatient.
Insistent wailing alerted Itachi his baby sibling had arrived, hearing it through the walls as he sat waiting in the hallway. He watched the clock down the corridor, hours had passed by rather slow, making the impatience seemingly unbearable. But finally, after another thirty minutes rolled by, his father opened the door to usher him in.
The baby's crying was steadily turning into whimpers the closer Itachi got. He saw it's tiny hands flailing, and then dark hair sitting atop its head.
"It's a boy! He's your little brother."
His mother's announcement made Itachi walk closer, examining the small, wrapped up baby boy, and proceeded to poke him gently on the cheek.
A life... A new life.
Fugaku reached for his tiny new son, holding him gently as he began to sway his body.
"Have you decided on a name?" His wife asked, smiling at him.
"Yes. Sasuke... Sasuke Uchiha." He answered with a smile of his own.
"Oh, that's a fine name, but that's-"
"Yes, it's Lord Third's father's name. I've already asked Lord Third."
"I see." Mikoto grinned at her husband, watching as he continued to move to and fro with baby Sasuke tucked into the bend of his arm.
"Sasuke. We shall raise him to never dishonor his name." Fugaku grinned, raising the little body in the air.
oOoOo
Birth... Death... Birth... Death...
The ruminations never went away, not even while he tried to sleep. Before Sasuke's birth, Itachi managed to control his unanswered questions of life and not let it completely consume him, but ever since he touched his little brother's cheek, his mind had been overwhelmed by endless thoughts of lives being brought into the world and lives being took out.
A month and a couple weeks had passed since Itachi's mother and baby brother came home from the hospital, and within that time frame, Sasuke had managed to wake him up nightly with his needy cries. Itachi was becoming borderline annoyed with the persistent wailing that took place multiple times in the dead of night; each noise that escaped from his baby brother brought back the endless amount of thoughts he was trying to keep at bay. That, and he was starting to get tired during the day from the accumulating lack of sleep. He would be attending the Academy in a week and wanted to attempt getting better rest, but tonight reminded him that that most likely won't be happening anytime soon, or if ever again.
Life is born. Sasuke boomed out a cry as soon as the thought entered Itachi's mind, and the soft hurried steps from his mother flicking the hall light on and crossing to the nursery room followed right after. Life dies. The sea of dead bodies from the war briefly flashed before his eyes, along with the ungodly amount of blood that had yet to of been soaked into the soil, and the putrid smell that had eventually accompanied it. Life is... a battle... An unexplained sadness bloomed within him at the realization, and he clutched gently over his blanket-clad chest. He felt an overwhelming urge to cry; the burning feeling in his throat increasing by the second and making it hard for him to swallow.
He heard the gentle whispered coos from his mother, and the quick calming of Sasuke, which left the house relatively quiet again and stopping his own cries from bubbling up. Despite his unexpected revelation taking place at such an untimely moment, and the thick feeling in the back of his throat clogging his collected spit and keeping it from sliding down comfortably, Itachi turned on to his side and tried to get comfortable right before the scratching sound of his door sliding open invaded the semi-silence. He briskly slammed his eyes shut and relaxed his movements, hoping that feigning sleep would go unnoticed by his mother and she'd leave his room fast enough before his tears could escape in a downpour of quivering lips and snot.
Instead of his hope, he felt his mother tuck him in softly and kiss the back of his head, then brush his hair away from his face with warm fingers. A sigh of exhaustion could be heard from her, and the petting abruptly stopped. He waited for the moment his mother left his room before shoving his face into his pillow and letting the tears flow freely; he could already feel the wetness of what was shed from the instant he rolled to his left. The sliver of light from the crack between his door and wall went away as an echo of the light switch turning off could faintly be heard. A few minutes later, when his silent tears stopped and all of his snot was wiped away, he stared at the pale moon showing between his curtains while listening to the hum from his fan, it's constant noise slowly lulling him to sleep. Finally.
oOoOo
Itachi watched as Sasuke drooled down his mouth, the slobbery mess hanging in strings and latching onto the dark blue outfit he was currently donned with. A look of distaste etched on Itachi's face as he took the baby blanket from under Sasuke's tiny hands and mopped up the mess. In retaliation, the baby groaned in annoyance and raised a fist up, bumping it repeatedly on Itachi's shoulder and face.
"Here." His mother said in amusement, offering a star-shaped toy for Sasuke to play with and chew on - him automatically doing the latter, and doing as much chewing that could take place for a three-month-old; the most damage he could do was gum the yellow thing and spread more messy slobbers everywhere. After a second, Mikoto handed Itachi some paper towels as well, so he could wipe up any excess drool. "How was the Academy today, Itachi?" She asked, walking back to the kitchen to finish what she was cooking.
"Fine," He replied, picking up the star Sasuke suddenly threw on the floor. "Sensei actually let us touch the shurikens today." He started the Academy nearly two months ago and just this week they were given permission to go to the fenced in training grounds to be introduced to common shinobi weapons. He was already ahead, taking time to practice each day after class ended. He couldn't wait until he could attend the Shinobi Academy.
"That's nice, honey." Mikoto commented with a smile.
While he'd been with his classmates outside, he'd seen the Fourth Hokage walking with a red-headed lady whose belly looked just like his mother's before she had Sasuke. He'd forgotten about it by the time he did his own training and came back home, but the mention of the Academy reminded him of his earlier suspicions.
"Is Lord Fourth going to have a baby, too?" Itachi inquired while playing with his brother, wiggling his little finger at the baby when he threw the star to the ground again.
"Yes. I wonder what it will be." Mikoto answered, gently stirring the food in front of her. "I'll be going out tonight, so go ahead and have dinner."
"Okay."
"Your father is working, too, so please watch Sasuke." She added.
"Uh huh." Itachi mumbled, slightly distracted from the three-month-old's quiet coos as he handed the yellow star back to his grasping fingers.
It was a few hours later when Itachi had Sasuke bundled up and strapped to his chest, sitting on the porch and staring up at the night sky.
"It's a full moon tonight, Sasuke." He said softly, looking down at the baby with a smile. Suddenly, the wind began to blow, causing a dreadful feeling to wash over Itachi; the uncomfortable wiggles of Sasuke let him know he wasn't the only one feeling it. "What is this?" Sasuke's small whimpers turned into loud yowls when the sensation became heavy and dark. "There, there. Don't cry Sasuke, no matter what happens, your big brother will definitely protect you." Itachi reassured the crying baby.
A loud, thunderous roar broke through the air, startling Itachi and causing Sasuke to suddenly shriek his cries. In a haste, Itachi tried to maneuver out of his house while the constant earthquake-like sensations rumbled the earth.
"It's okay. There, there!" Itachi attempted to calm the howling baby, almost falling over when a particular rumble made him lose his balance.
Once he made it outside, citizens ran every which way in terror. Large rubble soared through the sky and landed on houses and businesses near Itachi, destroying everything in its vicinity. A piece of flying rock landed too close to him, and the aftershock of it's landing made him fall to the ground.
"Sasuke, it's okay. You got a little scared, huh?" Itachi asked while he picked himself up, smiling down when Sasuke quieted his cries into mewls. Once he made sure his brother was securely strapped to his chest still, Itachi saw the dead bodies littering the ground, then took off into a light jog away from the carnage; even though Sasuke was a baby, he didn't want his little brother's innocent eyes taking in the death all around them.
Roars could still be heard, the noise itself causing the earth to tremble. After a bit of jogging and listening to commands nearby ninja were yelling above the sounds, Itachi came up to a few destroyed houses and quickly noticed one of the constant giggling girls from his Academy class. Izumi, if he remembered correctly, laid within the wreckage of one of the random homes with a man and a woman holding their arms over her in an attempt of shielding her body from the debris. Blood pooled around them, a lot he seen oozing out of the girl's mouth. He paused his jogging, staring at the scene with a deep frown and a thudding heart.
Frantic screams got him moving away from the bloody scene of his now ex-classmate; his main focus was getting his little brother to safety, and stopping and staring at the dead was not helping his situation. He did little searching for his father and mother - in all honesty, his parents were the last people he was thinking of with Sasuke currently in his arms depending on him - and instead rushed in the direction of the shelter ninja were yelling to get to. It eased him slightly, though, when he caught sight of his dad standing a few feet away, evaluating everything before him with a stern expression and his arms crossed. Dodging people along the way, Itachi quickly went to him.
"I knew you would be alright," Fukagu stated once Itachi got close enough. "Get to the shelter quickly."
It was hot, and people were cramped tightly together. The suffocating air caused Sasuke's cries to worsen, and Itachi was getting slightly worried about the red hue his brother's face was currently turning. He attempted to make room to sit the baby between his legs, but the bunched up group of sweaty bodies made it practically impossible. Itachi sighed, people started looking at him the moment Sasuke's wailing kicked up a notch. He wasn't embarrassed by his brother's actions, but he was getting nervous someone would end up causing a confrontation of annoyance. Everyone was on edge from the attack, and he knew they didn't want to listen to a screeching baby.
"Hush, hush, Sasuke. You're alright now, big brother has you." Itachi attempted to calm his cries, brushing his fingers gently down his brother's face and rocking his arms from side to side. Sasuke slowly stopped bawling and settled into a jumble of groans and moans, causing a deep sigh of relief to bustle out of Itachi when people stopped giving him accusatory glances. "We'll be able to leave soon." He soothed out, continuing to trace Sasuke's features until he fell asleep on his chest.
oOoOo
After the Nine Tails had been sealed, and everyone exited the shelters, bodies of the fallen were collected by the Uchiha Police Force along with other ninjas that weren't helping clean up the abundance of debris and wreckage littering everywhere.
"My babies." Mikoto breathed, wrapping Itachi into her arms and smashing Sasuke between their bodies once she finally found them in the hordes of people walking through the ruins searching for their own relatives. Fugaku stood behind her, relief crossing his face at the sight of his family back together in one piece, then pulled all three in for a brief hug.
Three days later, the mass funeral took place. Many tears were shed, and Itachi could physically feel the sadness radiating off of each person present. His parents stood near, his mother holding Sasuke, while they listened to the Third Hokage speak. His mind ran unrestrained, taking in the newborn baby bundled up peacefully in a basket in front of the Will of Fire Monument, and the new graves that had recently been dug and then covered again.
"Many lives were lost, including the Fourth Hokage, Minato, and his wife, Kushina. The facts behind the incident are still unknown.."
Life is born...
"But for now, let us mourn our comrades."
And life... dies.
Sorry if there are any mistakes.
It seems a little paced to me, but I was (mostly) keeping up with what happened in the anime and how it progressed so idk. Your thoughts? Was it okay for the first chapter?
I'm not too certain on how the schooling system works in the Narutoverse, especially concerning the civilians too, so I'm kinda just gonna make up my own. From the ages 5 until 7, they start the Basic Academy, or just known as Academy, and depending on whether they want to become a shinobi and depending on how fast they progress, they either stay in Basic Academy or move to the Shinobi Academy, which will take students from the ages of 6-8. A year in Basic Academy is mandatory, no matter if wanting to become a shinobi, to learn history and all that jazz. Right now, Itachi, who is 5, is in Basic Academy and will try out for the Shinobi Academy at the age of 6. Civilians stay in Basic Academy until the age of 10, and if further education is wanted, they will be moved to Leaf Village Institution (made up obviously haha) where a monthly fee will have to be paid.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading!
Before progressing any further *! PLEASE READ BELOW FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT !*
THERE WILL BE MATURE THEMES THAT WILL COME UP AT SOME POINT, e.g. mentions of rape, abuse, and/or (consented) sexual content that will result in the rating to be changed to M in later chapters. Nothing too graphic will be mentioned, I'm mostly doing this as a precaution. If you would like more of a warning added, PLEASE leave a review or PM me about it. There will also be curse words thrown around here and there. In preference, I hope that no one under the age of understanding mature situations reads this. For now, the rating will be set to T.
I am by no means a professional at writing or grammar, or practically anything. I promise to try my best to fix the mistakes that I can see, but I can't promise perfection.
There will be no updating schedule, but I'll try to stick to one.
POV changes won't be stated, it will be easy to discern who is who since the entirety of this story will be written in third person. The OC(s) will be introduced within the next couple(ish) chapters, I feel it is important to speak a little of Itachi first.
~ Shira
