Me: I decided to update sort of soon...since the first chapter was extremely short. Here you go!
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Sasuke stared at the ball of iron in his fist, turning it over and over. The early morning sky stretched above him, vast and open. He was somewhere in the wilderness, he knew that...and he was heading west. With a sigh, his thoughts wandered back to what had transpired mere hours ago.
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The fire cast a dim light over the occupants of the temple room. "The stones tell me the boar-god came from far to the had some kind of a poison inside of him driving him mad. A poisonous hatred that consumed his heart and flesh and turned him into a demon monster."
The old woman looked up, and addressed him now. "Prince Sasuke."
"Yes."
"Show everyone your right shoulder."
Sasuke lowered the shoulder of his shirt, revealing the hellish-looking mark caused by the beast.
There was a collective gasp from the village officials. One of them, Sasuke's great-uncle, turned to the Oracle.
"What does it mean?" He asked.
The woman did not reply, but kept her eyes on Sasuke. "My prince. Are you prepared to learn what fate the stones have foretold you?"
Sasuke nodded. "I was prepared the very moment I engaged the beast in battle."
The Oracle nodded, and was about to speak when someone stood from the gathering of men and stepped forward. "Oracle. I beg of you to let me tell the boy his fate."
Nobody spoke for a moment. Then, the Oracle nodded her consent. The man, tall and proud, turned to Sasuke. "My son...you are cursed. The poison will flow through your veins, spread throughout your body. There will be terrible pain...and then you will die."
Sasuke's cousin broke in. "Is there no way we can stop it?
Another person agreed. "The prince got that wound by saving our village and defending our lives."
"Do we just sit here, and watch him die?"
The old woman lowered her eyes again to her mat. "You cannot alter your fate. However, you can rise to meet it if you choose."
"Look at this." The elder picked something up off of the mat, then rolled it in front of Sasuke. "This iron ball was found in the boar's body. This is what hurt him so. It shattered his bones and burned its way deep inside him." Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the words. "This is what turned him into a demon."
The tall man spoke again. "There is evil at work in the land to the west. It is your fate to go there and see what you can see with eyes unclouded by hate. You may find a way to lift the curse, do you understand?"
"I understand. I will stop the beast. I will find the source, and cure it."
Sasuke's grandfather, a stooped man with a long white beard, began talking. "We are the last of the Uchiha clan. It's been five hundred years since the emperor destroyed our tribe...and drove the remnants of our people to the east. Some managed to survive here all these years, but the bloodline has grown thinner and weaker with each generation. Now our last prince must leave us, never to return?" All the men's faces looked grim. " Sometimes I think the gods are laughing at us."
Sasuke's father looked down upon his son. "Our laws forbid us from watching you go, Sasuke. No matter what happens, you are dead to us now."
Sasuke nodded, then rose from his seat. Fugaku Uchiha watching him go. "Good luck," he said.
Sasuke turned, bowed, and then left the temple. The men all bowed their heads, and Fugaku closed his eyes. Only the Oracle's stare never wavered. "Goodbye...Sasuke."
Outside, Sasuke went straight to the stables. He raised the wooden bar the prevented the elk from leaving and led his own elk, Yakul, out to the dirt road. He mounted the elk and began to walk him out of the village. However, someone was in his path. When he near them, he discovered that it was his older brother, Itachi. "Sasuke."
Sasuke frowned. "Itachi. What are you doing here? You know that it is forbidden."
A small smirk graced Itachi's lips, and he shook his head. "Do you think I care about that?" He stepped closer to his younger sibling. "I came to give you this so that you would not forget your clan." He held out his hand and offered it to Sasuke. The boy reached out, taking the object from Itachi. "Your crystal dagger." He looked at his brother. "Itachi, I can't take this."
Itachi did not move to take it back. "Keep it with you...to protect you. Take it. I want you to have it. So you won't...forget." His face was expressionless, but then, it always was. Sasuke could tell that he actually did care. Sasuke gave a small smile. "Itachi, you know that I could never forget."
And with that, he sped off into a gallop, leaving his village forever.
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He sighed again. No turning back now...he was on a mission. Getting up, he stretched, then gently laid a hand on Yakul's back, rousing the red elk. "We have to get going," he said quietly.
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The boy stared up at the columns of smoke rising from the town.
A battle?
The screams of the villagers pierced the sky, pleas of mercy and cries of pain.
No...a slaughter.
Sasuke looked away from the burning village and instead focused on the road leading out of town. There were people running along it; some fleeing, some chasing.
The boy's eyes narrowed.
A shout alerted him to the fact that he was now visible. "Up there! Someone on the hill! Get him!"
He turned to the side, seeing a few men running towards him. They were charging blindly, destruction in their eyes. He dismounted Yakul, and drew his katana. "Stay away." He warned them clearly. The men paid him no heed, and the one in front raised his sword as he ran, about to swing at him.
The boy calmly raised his own sword, fully intending to disarm the man and make his escape. With a yell of rage, the unknown warrior swung wildly at him.
Sasuke felt his shoulder pulse, right on the curse mark he had received from the boar demon, sending pain all through his body.
Before he could even try to stop it, his arm had swung to block the man's move, with a strength that made both of them stumble backwards. Sasuke's eyes widened as his arm began to ripple and his muscles strained - then dart out to decapitate his adversary in one action.
The other two men had reached them, and they began swinging their swords wildly, as well. Sasuke snarled in frustration and surprise when his arm again acted of its own accord, cutting off the leg of one man and narrowly missing the second.
He grasped the rebellious arm with his other hand, using all of his strength to stop it from attacking the remaining warrior. "Run," he said through gritted teeth. The man, who up close appeared to be only a few years older than Sasuke, backed away, a frightened look on his face. His fallen comrade, still alive, moaned in agony. And the other lay dead on the ground. Sasuke, having gained control of his arm again, turned away from the gruesome scene to see that several villagers were watching him, having successfully escaped the ransackers.
He knew how he must appear - covered in blood, and two men, men who'd been pillaging their town, at his feet...a bloody savior.
He looked away from them, sheathed his katana, and mounted Yakul, continuing on his way. The four villagers stared after him, eyes wide.
"Demon," one of them muttered.
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Me: And there you have it. I elaborated on the Sasuke-leaves-the-village-scene, so it doesn't quite follow the last chapter. And yes, I took most of the dialogue straight from the movie. Seriously - go out and rent the movie. It rules.
Oh, and I love San, and her almost feral personality, but I'm going to make Hinata a bit more peaceful, un? It makes more sense.
Doesn't Sasuke just work with this story? The "god" (Orochimaru) that gave him a curse? The leaving of his village? The fact that the "lands to the west" (Konoha) drove his clan (the Uchiha) out?
*Review, review, and I'll update for you!*