Chapter 1: He Who Lives in Darkness
It had been 7 years since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. 7 years since the structure of the Shinobi World changed forever. The era of rivalry and hatred had long since passed and was replaced with trust and friendship. With the threat of war almost non-existent and every Village seeking peace, every man, woman and child found that they were far happier with their lives. Well, almost every man. There was still one who continued to linger in the darkness. The rest of the world believed he was dead, but they were wrong. He was simply waiting in the shadows, allowing his hatred to grow. Finally, it reached its peak and he was ready to release his hatred upon the world. The peace that hade been enjoyed for the last few years was about to come to an end.
The Raikage, Ay, walked out of the meeting with an unbelievable headache. Planning the annual celebrations that marked the end of the last World War was always an annoying and difficult task. He was a warrior, not a party planner. If it were up to him, he wouldn't even be going to this celebration. However, he knew that wasn't an option. He didn't want to be the one to sour relations between the nations after they had worked so hard for peace. As a Kage, he knew that he had responsibilities and he would see them through. Although, he couldn't deny that the job was becoming more tiresome. He supposed that his age was becoming to catch up with him and that he should start thinking of a successor. Who would that be? He had no idea. His brother would have been an ideal choice, if he weren't such an immature fool. Darui, maybe? He certainly had the brains for the job and he had youth on his side.
"Why am I thinking about this now?" he thought, "I still have years ahead of me. This kind of thing can be decided later."
Ay walked through the streets of his Village, appreciating the beauty of it. The lights emanating from the buildings illuminated the dark streets below, a rare sight that can only be seen in the Hidden Cloud Village. The buildings were all built on top small mountains and could only be seen from the clouds, which is how the village gained its name. The combination of the cool air and quietness from the streets was already having the desired effect. Ay could feel the pain in his head numbing and calmness descend upon him.
As he turned the corner and entered a quiet side street, he stopped in his tracks. He turned his head slightly, and stared into the shadows.
"Come out, whoever you are. I know you're there" he demanded, his voice as harsh as ever. He continued to stare as a hooded figure emerged from the shadows and stepped into the light in the street. The nameless figure stood about 5'10", making his significantly smaller than Ay. He also appeared to be rather skinny and didn't seem to be much of a threat physically. However, the Raikage was an experienced warrior and knew not to underestimate his opponents despite their appearance.
"Raikage" the hooded figure said, elongating the beginning of the word. "It seems that you are as alert as ever. That's good, as it means this won't be too boring."
The way the man spoke was strangely familiar, but Ay couldn't quite figure out who it was. What he did know, was that he was not a Hidden Cloud Shinobi, as no one from his own village would dare confront him like this.
"Going to hide behind a hood are we?" Ay taunted. "Trying to hide your identity isn't very original. Either way, I'm going to crush you!"
Ay yelled his last line and looked to intimidate his assailant. Yet, it didn't quite give off the reaction he had hoped for. Rather than cowering in fear, he simply laughed at him. Ay felt his anger swell, but didn't allow it to get the better of him. It was obvious this was exactly what the enemy was trying to do.
"I'm not looking to hide my face," the hooded man said, after he had finished laughing. "In fact, it would be more beneficial if you were to see my face, or more specifically, if you could see my eyes."
The man reached for his hood and slowly pulled it down. The first thing Ay noticed was the jet-black hair that reached down to his shoulders and spiked up at the back. The man's general outline slightly reminded Ay of a raven. Then, Ay noticed his eyes and all became clear. They were blood red with three black dots surrounded a black circle at the centre of the eye. This rare kekkei genkai belonged to one extinct clan and the fact that the man had awakened it in both eyes, meant that there was only one person it could be.
"Sasuke Uchiha!" Ay nervously exclaimed, hoping that he was somehow mistaken. "That's not possible, you're supposed to be dead!"
"True" Sasuke replied, his lips curling into a devious smile. "Yet, here I am standing in front of you. Amazing, isn't it?"
Ay's entire body was shaking as he continued to stare at Sasuke. He had been sure that he watched Sasuke die on the battlefield. How could he have survived?
"Well" Ay shouted, regaining his composure. "I suppose this is my lucky day. I can kill you with my own two hands, like I said I would years ago."
Ay prepared to attack, but before he could, Sasuke made his move. Before Ay had even moved, Sasuke was already standing just inches away from him, looking into his eyes.
"He's so fast" Ay thought, "I don't think even the Hokage is capable of moving at that speed. What am I going to do now?"
"Usually I'd stick around and play with you a little, but sticking around in this village any longer than I have to isn't wise" Sasuke whispered, his tone very aggressive. "So, just look into my eyes and it'll all be over quickly. Well, quickly for me." Sasuke laughed as he uttered the last line, enjoying his position of authority.
"Tsukoyomi" he said softly, the design in his eyes suddenly switching to his Mangekyo Sharingan. Just a second afterwards, Ay dropped to his knees. He was breathing heavily and visibly shaking.
"I have to say, you've impressed me," Sasuke said mockingly. "Most people who don't possess a Sharingan would have died straight away. You are as resilient as ever Raikage."
"You've not won" Ay croaked, fighting through the pain. "Even if you kill me, you won't be able to kill the spirits of this village, or of the whole Shinobi World. Your hatred will never be able to overcome the love that he has brought."
Sasuke stared angrily at Ay, but then turned his face into a smirk.
"As if I care what you have to say" he spat, as he put his hands together. Sasuke lazily made some hand signs, and then stretched his left arm out facing the floor, with his right hand holding onto his left wrist.
"Let's see how well you do against this attack this time" he said, as a ball of white lightning formed in his palm. The sound of birds chirping echoed all around them. Ay could hear every word and see what Sasuke was doing, but he couldn't react. He knew that he had been crippled by the genjutsu and he couldn't stop what was about to come next. So, he closed his eyes and thought back to the old days. As the Fourth Raikage left this world, he thought of his brother, Killer Bee, his great rival, The Fourth Hokage and of the village he had loved since he was a child. Finally, the light went out and his body hit the ground.
Sasuke stood over his victim and studied his face. He saw a smile etched on there, mocking him. He kicked the corpse's face hard, so that it pointed the other way. In the distance, he could hear the sound of panicked voices. He supposed that the sound of Chidori, as well as the bright light it emitted, had alerted anyone who was nearby. Sasuke quickly made more seals and smashed his palm into the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu" he said, and a great ball of white smoke appeared. After it cleared, a giant brown hawk stood there, flapping its wings impatiently. Sasuke quickly jumped onto it's back and took off into the air. As he was leaving, he looked down onto the streets and watched as multiple people gathered around the Raikage's body. Sasuke would have liked to stay around and watch them cry out in pain, but decided it was best to leave.
"This is just the start brother. I promise you that," he whispered, as the hawk flew away from the village and into the blackness of the night.