He really did love them.
Maybe "love" wasn't the word he, himself, would use and admit. They were fellow shinobi. They were his precious comrades.
They were his friends.
After the annihilation of the Uchiha clan, he had no one to consider precious until he was assigned to Team 7. That was the beginning of slowly breaking his shell of isolation and allowing bonds between him and others to form. It seemed like the start of something new to his world that he so desperately needed, though refused to admit.
Over time, through missions and training, his bond to them grew stronger without his realization. As cold and solemn as he was, the sentimental connection was still there, developing into something very close to love. It kept him distracted for a while.
But there was something else violently tugging at his soul.
The thirst for revenge eventually drove him to the brink of insanity and engulfed him in hatred. His thirst turned into dire obsession that was unstoppable.
He needed more power. He needed more strength. He needed more of everything if he even wanted a chance of defeating Itachi. Seeing Naruto, of all people, grow possibly stronger than him made him even angrier.
And so he made his choice.
He severed his bonds.
They were no longer his friends.
They were once precious, but not anymore.
No.
That was a lie.
They were still his beloved comrades and the friends he never dreamed of having. As he had stood there in the Valley of the End facing Naruto, they still had a special space in his heart but his conscience refused to admit it in the midst of insanity.
Truth be told, he was, indeed, consumed by hatred and revenge but he wasn't a big enough fool to not know they still held significance deep inside him. But for power he had to severe his bonds and he did.
The pain was excruciating but his obsession for revenge made it somehow bearable. He knew that if he killed his closest friend he would attain the Mangekyo Sharingan. He would be one step closer to be stronger. Though he was still far from it, he'd be one step closer to defeating his brother.
But Naruto chased him, determined to chase him to the ends of the earth until he decided to return. Naruto vowed to forever hold out his hand until he took it. Again and again, he refused- Naruto's obsession almost forcing him further into the darkness.
He had goals. Even when Itachi fell, his quest wasn't finished. He had to destroy the entity that was the source of all his sorrows, despite Itachi's actions to save it.
By this time, his bonds were meaningless. Their significance diminished. His eyes were shrouded with darkness.
However, despite all that had happened, despite his contempt for them, despite the strong hatred he felt… he really did once love them.
Maybe "love" still isn't the word he, himself, would use and admit. They were once fellow shinobi. They were once his precious comrades.
They were once his friends.
-XoxOxoX-
So this was a prompt that I wanted to try out but my execution could have been a lot better… halfway through I lost track of my purpose and ended up just rambling. Ah well, practice makes perfect. Please feel free to drop a review with comments, suggestions and critiques! Thanks for reading!
