I'm gone. Too far gone and yet not far gone enough. The only time I've ever been so cold it hurt but so cold it didn't. A paradox really. An enigma I no longer find myself bothered enough to figure out. I am Uchiha Itachi. The one that should have been the strongest heir our clan had ever had.

You see, the Uchiha Clan and the Ninja Village of Konohagakure were not exactly on friendly terms. If the village were a huge family, our clan would have to be considered the estranged relatives. So when I came along, a child genius, a prodigy, as the Uchiha heir... you can imagine what I became the equivalent to. If there was a bridge between an island in a lake to the main land, I was the human equivalent of it.

For the first decade of my life, I was like a spare tire. Trained to become perfection, and always kept at hand. I was the clan's saving grace. I was not human any longer. Luckily, my own spare was around. My little brother, Sasuke, who could see no wrong in me, except when I wouldn't play with him. To him, I was his awesome older brother, human and loving. To my clan, I was a chess piece on the political chessboard.

Then Madara found Shisui. And then me. He killed my best friend, my brother, my cousin. And I became his pawn too. After that, I snapped. I became the estranged heir in the estranged clan. Distrustful gazes replaced kind smiles. Until I came back from a mission to find Madara having his way with the people I called family. I found my aunts, uncles, and cousins sprawled all over the compound like fallen leaves. I found my mother fading rapidly and my father beside her, already gone. Madara was watching me with a smug grin as I could only watch my mother die.

He wanted me to activate my Sharingan. My Mangekyo Sharingan. I realized that Sasuke had escaped the massacre. And I knew how to save him. However, I had to betray him. But I never realized how much it would hurt when I saw the pain in his eyes.

I never knew how much it could hurt when the one you care about is the one you've disappointed and completely wounded, and you knew exactly why.