So... this was a short story that I made two years ago for a contest, but I never posted it on FFN. Honestly I feel like it was all over the place. It had potential in the beginning but just... lost sight of what it was supposed to be. (Not like my writing now is a lot better though lol)

Anyway, it's still a project that I'm proud of (because I actually finished a story for once) so if you have the time, please read ;)

Also, warning for gore and blood. I don't think it's descriptive enough for an M rating, but I will change it if anyone tells me to.

-o-

Squish

Itachi looked down to his boot, the expensive leather stained with blood. He had stepped on something... was that... a hand?

The hand belonged to a boy, he noted, as he bent down and stared at him impassively. The boy's clothes were a mess, though it looked like it had been bought from a high-end clothings shop. Of course. All Uchihas were rather well-off, even some of the poorer ones. The boy was wearing a black dress shirt, pearl-white buttons still intact. A blue tie covered the skin at the base of his neck, veins popping out over it. Ah... so this was how the boy had died. Itachi had many clones that he had made, so he didn't necessarily remember every one of his victim. Covering the boy's eyes was a triangle-shaped piece of cloth. A bandana, he mused.

Something pushed him to do it- he reached down his hand, putting it to a rest on the fabric, and brushed it off from the top of the boy's head, and his breath caught. He sought to hold his stoic expression, even though there was no one around. If the facade ever slipped, he knew that he could never be able to put it up again. Tangled black hair partly concealed the boy's eyes, sticking out in such a manner on the side that it closely resembled Sasuke's spiky hair when it was disheveled. It was bristly, though, unlike Sasuke's well-cared for hair.

Speaking of Sasuke...

Itachi put the scrap of cloth back onto the boy's eyes, and he stood up. There would be no wasting time; there were only a few hours left until Sasuke came back from the academy, and he still had two more people to get through: his mother and father.

x-x

Sasuke waved to the group of particularly pretty girls standing by the doors of the Academy. They looked to be about twelve years old, and all of them were using their hitai-ate to adorn their hair.

The girls caught his smile and waved back, members of the group cooing, "Oh, how sweet!" And, "Isn't he just sooooooo adorable?"

He puffed out his chest, making them squeal louder, and he flashed them a grin that rivaled Lee's. "Congwatulatiwons!" He, of course, was able to speak perfectly fine, no baby talk, but this was an easy way to make the girls swoon. " You won ywor pwetty headbands, rwight? You'wre ninja, neh? I wanna be a ninja when I gwow up!"

"HAI! I wanna be Hokwage when I gwow up!" A certain blond-haired, blue-eyed boy came up from behind him, jumped up into the air, clicked his heels, and pumped one of his hand up. His cobalt eyes shone with excitement. Sasuke had always envied his eyes. They were so pretty. "Datwebayo!"

"Oh... huh, really?" One of the girls spoke up nervously after the group had fallen into a silence. "That's... nice."

A girl with the ends of her hitai-ate woven into her braids shoved her elbow into the stomach of the girl who had spoken. "Shut your trap. Didn't momma tell us not to talk to this kid?" She hissed. Then, for good measure, she added, "Do you know what papa would do if he found out?"

"I- I just..." She muttered, clenching her fist. "Never mind."

Sasuke watched Naruto, tilting his head. He had never gotten why his father and mother always said to get away from him. It wasn't like he was dangerous; in fact, he was the complete opposite.

He was always smiling, and Sasuke never saw him get angry- not even when one of the boy's had stolen cookies from Naruto. Although, Naruto did say some words that Sasuke only ever heard adults say. Like...

Bastard.

Huh. He would have to ask Itachi-niisan about that word later.

x-x

In the darkness of a house, a man with the title of a 'nukenin' to most of his village stood up, wiping his tanto with the hem of his shirt, and sheathing it into its scabbard.

Of course, he didn't have to use this; he could have used any one of his deadly jutsus, and they would've been dead. However, his father had wanted to die with honor. It was his last wish, so, honor it was.

Itachi stared at his hands, warm and slick with the dark red fluid that was dripping onto the floor. His heart was thumping, thumping against his ribcage so hard that he could feel it with each ragged breath he took. He looked at the bodies of the two people sprawled out, blood pooling from underneath them, onto the floor that belonged to what used to be his house.

He had done it. He had destroyed his friends, family, and loved ones for the sake of Konoha. It had better be worth it.

x-x

Sasuke skipped down the road to the Uchiha compound, holding a single red rose in his hands. A girl with short blond hair had dragged a pinkette along with her, who was blushing something fierce, and she had thrust the rose towards him.

She was pretty, he decided, although she was a bit shy; after he had taken it, she fainted.

Sasuke hummed, twirling the flower in his hand. His song reverberated through the empty streets. Wait- empty?

Hmm... that was strange.

Sasuke walked over to the entry of the nearest house. Nothing. Next house. Nada. Next house. No one.

...Maybe they were throwing a surprise party! For him! Well, he didn't know what it was for, but, still... that was a nice thought.

Resuming his skipping, he made his way towards his house. His mom, dad, and Itachi-niisan would know for sure!

-o-

There are two more chapters that I will put up soon! And don't worry, this isn't like my other stories' "will-update-soon-but-hasn't-updated-in-a-year-soon" because this is already finished

Seems like the only way I'll be able to update quickly orz

Anyways, see you tomorrow!