Unknown Location
The world for him is nothing but darkness, yet nothing escapes him. In his life, all he had known was the glory of battle, the thrill of the fight. Now, there is nothing. Yet nothingness is surprisingly not empty. His power invites, and beckons, not the power he once wielded, but true power. The power of knowledge, the power of planning. It seemingly invites challenge, opposition, yet nothing can fight the truth. Truth, impossibly hard to find and impossibly simple. The truth of all truths is that one is nothing until they become something. Power does not make you something, power is natural, it is gained through taking and living, even death grants power. No, to become something you must transcend the laws of nature.
He can no longer be called death incarnate, the true heir to Indra. He is no longer Uchiha, no longer the strongest man alive. Yet a god he remains. His knowledge of truth beckons all the world to answer to him. The trees, the sands, the graves, the waves, the winds. They all whisper to one man. The Second Sage, The Omniscient One. Madara.
"Zetsu"
"Master"
"I hear their souls screaming in betrayal. It is done."
"Do you wish for them now?" a crooked smile splits the darkness, displaying razor sharp teeth on an otherwise nondescript face.
"Hn. As it was commanded to you, unseen, unharmed."
"Of course, master." The smile disappears, along with the impossibly black figure that it accompanied. A deep breath is taken and released, the sound mixing in the darkness.
"Indra, Asura. Your feeble attempts to hold onto this world will end. The natural order will be restored, and war will be born again. War? No, a new slaughter will begin, a purge of all that is wrong, all that is weak. Omniscience will meet omnipotence, and the wise will prevail!"
Konoha
A mess of blonde hair sits atop the downtrodden face of one Namikaze Minato. He sits staring at his hands in his office. The hands that single handedly destroyed an army, the hands that got him his position within the village. The hands that tangled with the Kyubi. The hands that despite all their speed, could not stop his predecessor from sacrificing his life to seal the beast at the cost of his life. Adding onto his resume now, was ordering a 16-year-old child to slaughter his entire clan for the betterment of the village. He signed the official decree of making Uchiha Itachi a missing ninja. With these hands, he condemned the boy to a life of everlasting suffering. So how was he, with these blood-soaked hands, supposed to go home and hug his wife? Comfort his children?
"And so, there are only two left, two members of the two founding clans of Konoha remain. Both of them carry the genes of both clans. Uchiha Sasuke, born of Senju Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku. Senju Naruto, born of an unidentified Uchiha female and Senju Arata." This statement coming from a now seated, heavily bandaged elderly man. Despite his bandaged state however, he never ceased to put any room he entered on edge. "Give them to me Minato, let me train them. Their loyalty must be preserved."
"…. Get out Danzo." Barely contained rage and depression dripping on the edge of the Hokage's words.
"Konoha's destruction lay in your hands should it all go wrong, Hokage-sama." The final words spoken always belonged to Danzo, no matter the situation, his ability to finish conversations were unparalleled. Quite the odd specialty, but words are powerful.
Unable to bear staying in the office wear he had committed the greatest sin of his life, the Namikaze left in his signature flash of light.
Konoha: Senju Compound
A seven-year-old sat with his back to the wall behind his bed. "Eyes closed, mind open." He tried the words out on his tongue but they were not his. The words belonged to Senju Arata. There was nothing fresh or new about those words though. (1) Those words were years old at this point, the only words that kept him from forgetting. He can never forget, he must never forget. "I won't forget you, Otou-san, Okaa-san." Had it been a year ago the boy would have cried, but he was seven and a shinobi in training. Shinobi don't cry, or so he was told by his teachers at the Academy. He slid down under his covers, their light blue, nearly grey color being the most colorful and descript thing about his room. Subtle was his style, subtle made him feel safe.
"No amount of hiding can make you invisible before the watchful eye of god." Naruto quickly sprang up in his bed only to be slammed back down by a powerful hand, his vision growing hazy as a black visage held a rag to his face. "You will awaken reborn, or not at all. Sleep knowing this may be your final peace, or sleep knowing that this peace will last forever." The ragged and hoarse voice monologed as Naruto slipped from consciousness, his mind going blank. "Now for the other."
Konoha: Uchiha Compound
Last week his Kaa-chan would be fussing at him to be in bed. Then again a week ago he had a Kaa-chan. A raven hair covered head shook in frustration, the frustration of being helpless. The frustration of wanting to cry for his losses more, the frustration of having his stomach twist and burn in unbridled rage and anger. His feet carried him absent mindedly to bed. Soon he found himself laying in a house that was no longer a home, this wasn't wear his heart was, it is wear his heart was buried. Where love was lost and hatred was born. Where a murderer was raised, and now where he must lay. Uchiha Sasuke crawled into his bed and shut his eyes. "I will grow stronger than you, Itachi."
"The power you seek is not here, let me guide you to the path of truth." The young Uchiha merely nodded, thinking he was already dreaming. Not needing to drug the boy, Zetsu took away the unconscious body of Sasuke to his master, where the future of the world will be sealed.
(1 The name Arata means fresh or new, please forgive my terrible pun.
R&R
Ja Ne