Hey...so...I guess I'm back now...er...
...
OK, I have no excuse. I blame real life, it sucks donkeys. But now I've decided to, at long last, slowly get back into the flow of writing. This story is one of them, which will be secondary to my RWBY fanfic, The Vigil of Remnant. Not to say I won't work on this, just that the RWBY one will take priority.
So, I believe I had promised another event before I hit up the story proper. Pretty sure the chapter title gave away which one. Now, originally, I'd wanted to just write up a big summary of the events of the Uchiha Massacre. In the end, I decided writing it out would be more satisfying. Without further ado, I present to you, your generous helping of Itachi. Enjoy.
...
It was over.
At long last, the bulk of this nightmarish deed was complete. Itachi Uchiha, perched upon an electrical post, contemplated the heinous acts he so heartlessly commited, that tore at him inside. He had slaughtered his kinsman, the Uchiha Clan, his own family.
It was necessary, he kept telling himself. If the Uchiha had been allowed to attempt their coup, God knows that the the clan would've most likely been exterminated thoroughly, with no survivors, at worst. Not to mention the possibility of starting a brand new Shinobi World War. Itachi had fought in the Third, he had no desire to see the horrors of a Fourth.
He likely never could've done this alone, so he was lucky enough to have acquired an 'accomplice'. A Masked Man, who claimed to be the long-dead Madara. Something about this man made Itachi believe it to be so, and thus allowed him his revenge against the Uchiha. The Masked Man went after the Uchiha Leaf Police, and more militant part of the clan, leaving Itachi free to go about ending...the civilian portion.
The hardest bit was having to kill his own parents, Fugaku and Mikoto. Mainly because they offered no resistance whatsoever. They told him that they understood, and respected the path he'd chosen. They loved him to the bitter end. All they asked was that he take care of Sasuke.
And he intended to. Sasuke was the last part of the deal he'd made with Danzo, one Uchiha survives. Naturally, he'd chosen his little brother. In mere moments, Sasuke would make his way home, and discover the utter carnage Itachi had wrought. He would have to lie to his little brother, make himself out to be an irredeemable monster. Itachi looked up, seeing Sasuke finally arrive through the main entrance, and promptly leapt away.
"Father...? Mother...?" Sasuke called, voice trembling, as he entered the house. "Are you there...?"
Sasuke searched his family home, eventually making his way to the den. As he reached to open the door, he paused. 'Someone's in there...' he thought. Eventually, he urged myself to move, and opened the door. The scene that greeted him was the sight of both of his parents, dead on the floor.
"Father! Mother!" Sasuke screamed, stumbling into the room. He stopped when he saw someones shadow, standing a few feet away from his parents. It came closer, and light fell upon his face. Sasuke let out a sigh of relief; it was only his brother, Itachi. He stopped beside their parents, staring at Sasuke, Sharingan active.
"Big Brother! Itachi, Father and Mother are both...I don't understand. Who could do all this?" Sasuke cried, desperate to know. Suddenly, a Shuriken whizzed through the air, leaving a cut on his arm and sleeve before striking the wall behind him.
"Wait...What're..." Sasuke trailed off in silence, staring at his brother in fear, as he came to a horrifying conclusion.
"W-what have you done?" he asked, voice trembling once again.
"Foolish little Brother..." Itachi said simply. "I almost pity you..."
He closed his eyes for a moment, then soon after, reopened them.
"Mangekyou Sharingan." he said, his eye changing from the normal three tomoe, to a shuriken-like shape.
A moment of silence passed between them.
"It was you?" Sasuke finally asked. "You...you killed everyone?"
"That is correct"
"Why...?" Sasuke barely choked out, tears held back. "Why did you do this...? Itachi, why...?"
"To test the limits...Of my ability..." He replied without hesitation.
"To test your ability...?" Sasuke repeated, with visible frustration. "You're telling me...that's the reason you butchered every member of our clan...?"
"It is of great importance..." he responded. Sasuke's mind rapidly clouded over with rage, unbelieving of what he just heard.
"You bastard..." he muttered, charging forward. "You're out of your mind!"
Before he reached him, Itachi punched him in the stomach with full force, knocking the wind out of him. Sasuke coughed, retaining his position for a moment, then dropped to the floor. As he layed there, his gaze turned to his Mother and Father, unable to keep from crying now.
Suddenly, Itachi took a step forward, startling Sasuke, rapidly reminding him of how afraid he was.
"I'm scared." he said, getting up. He repeated it once more, before bolting towards the door. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. He just wanted to get away!
"I don't want to die!" he screamed. He slowed to a halt, however, as he looked up to see Itachi already in his path.
"Please..." Sasuke begged. "Don't kill me..."
Itachi stared back with an nary an expression on his face. "Foolish little brother," he said coldly. "you're not worth killing..."
Another moment of silence passed.
"If you wish to kill me, foster your strength...even the strength of others, if you must...Surviving in such an unsightly manner as this...By all means, run way; cling to your wretched life."
"It's a lie..." Sasuke sobbed. "This isn't like you, big brother...It can't be..."
"I have acted like the older brother you desire for one reason; because I wanted to discover how powerful you were." He explained. "I needed to find a worthy opponent to test the limits of my own ability...You have that potential. Now...now you'll want to defeat me. Destroy me. Which is exactly why I'm going to let you live. You see? It's all for my own benefit. Like me, you may be one of the few who can use Mangekyou Sharingan...But there is a catch..."
Sasuke looked like he wanted to ask, but was too afraid to.
"You must witness the death...of your best friend..." Itachi stated.
"That's a lie...It can't be..." Sasuke muttered in disbelief.
"Or perhaps you can kill him yourself...just as I did..." It took Sasuke a moment to realize what he was referring to. Then his eyes widened, as he recalled that one day
"You're saying...you're the one who..." he trailed off into silence for a moment. "Itachi, you killed Shisui...?"
"I did..." Itachi answered, without hesitation. "How else do you think I managed to obtain these powers?" He stopped speaking for a moment. "In the main hall of Nakuno Shrine, underneath the seventh Tatami mat from the far right, is our clan's secret gathering place. There you'll find a secret document; An explanation for the Uchiha Clan's jutsu...It tells of the visual jutsu's true purpose."
"The true purpose...?"
"If you learn how to activate it, you will be among the few to have ever attained the Mangekyou Sharingan, including myself. To ensure that happens..." He chuckled, before he continued. "That's enough of reason to let you live...Well, that's all..." he said, before turning around. Sasuke edged back, fearing an incoming attack. But none came. Instead, he simply walked away, saying, "Don't worry, you're not worth killing...My foolish little brother...If you wish to kill me...Foster your strength...and the strength of your friends, if you must...become more powerful than you are now." Itachi stopped and looked back at Sasuke once more. "Then one day, when you have the same eyes as me...or friends and allies strong enough to stand with you against me...or perhaps even both...you will find me again. Farewell, Sasuke." He then turned to leave.
Itachi's original plan for this encounter had been entirely different. He'd meant to use Tsukuyomi to force Sasuke to relive his slaughter, to drive the point home. Then he'd push the importance of hating him, and seeking revenge. The more he'd thought about this plan, the more Itachi realized how flawed it was. He could turn Sasuke into something awful, a vengeance-obsessed beast, who regards those closest to him as mere tools to that end. So he'd changed his mind, and thought this would be a better chance for Sasuke, that it would help him turn out as a better person. Hopefully.
Itachi prepared to leap away into the night, when he was stopped dead by two sounds. The first was the sound of a blade piercing flesh. The other...
"Gahhh..."
Itachi quickly turned around, to see Sasuke, a kunai embedded in his chest, held by the Masked Man.
"For shame, Itachi." The Masked Man began. "I expected better of a villain like you. I mean, 'Strength of others'? Please" He released the kunai, allowing the boy to drop onto his back.
"SASUKE!" Itachi screamed in anguish, all pretense of pretending to be a monster forgotten. "How DARE you! This was NOT part of the deal!"
"Yes, well...I changed my mind. I decided that it would be best to get rid of ALL of the Uchiha after all. That includes you, I'm afraid. Goodbye, Itachi. You were such an interesting one." The Masked Man charged forth, drawing his own sword as he went. Itachi prepared to defend himself.
"Light up the darkness, Kinpika (Gilded Splendor)!"
"Howl, Zabimaru (Snake Tail)!"
A bright flash briefly illuminated the night, and the two looked towards its source as it faded. The Masked Man then dodged to the side as a long sword whip crashed into the ground where he'd been, digging a modest trench. A man then appeared to his side, a glowing sword at the ready, as he turned in surprise.
"Hinode (Rising Sun)!" A wave of golden energy rushed torward the Masked Man as the new guy slashed downward. The Masked Man only just moved away from the attack by the skin of his teeth, the energy wave continuing into a nearby building, blowing out the wall it hit.
The two interlopers then reappeared standing protectively in front of Itachi. Both were brown of hair, the one with the segmented sword had longer messier hair, the one with the glowing sword having a shorter, slightly neater hairstyle. Soren Yamamoto, and his older brother Heihachi.
"Lord Heihachi." Itachi said in shock. "What's going on, why are you here?"
"Hey now, I'm here too." Soren said in false resentment. "As to the why, well..."
"Let's just say you owe our timely arrival to my son." Heihachi finished.
Earlier that night, the Yamamoto District...
Heihachi Yamamoto, being the Clan Head, did not have as much time to spend with his son and daughter as he wished he did. Which was a lot. His younger brother usually helped fill in the father-figure role when he could not. Luckily, tonight was far less busy than usual, and he'd been able to join his wife and children for a proper dinner, talking about their day's events, instead of being tied down by all manner of unholy curses, like paperwork, or meetings, for example.
They'd just recently finished eating when he noticed something began distressing Isamu, who had began meditating for Jinzen, trying to talk to his Zanpakuto.
"Isa?" his sister, Hoshiko, asked in worry. "Is something wrong? What is it?"
"I sense...I can't...don't understand...what..." Isamu muttered, still shifting in discomfort.
Most Yamamoto are born with the inherent ability to sense someone through their chakra. They came to call it Spiritual Sense. Isamu had been born with a much more intense Spiritual Sense than normal, and they were recently working on stopping it from being overactive. They were nearly there, it rarely flared up anymore. This was new though.
"Isamu?" Heihachi began, moving toward him. "What are you sensing, my son?"
"I don't understand." Isamu said, still in discomfort. "When an energy signature goes out, it means that person is dead, right?"
Okay, NOW Heihachi was worried. "Yes, it does." he confirmed, putting his hand upon his son's shoulder comfortingly. "Why? What does that have to do with it?"
"Because I can sense a LOT of energies going out, one by one. At the place where Sasuke lives, the Uchiha Compound. It's still happening." Isamu looked at his father, alarmed. "Dad, what does that mean?"
Heihachi's face went stony, he had a very bad feeling about this. "It means I'm going to find out for myself." he said, getting up. He grabbed Kinpika from her resting place against the wall.
"Dear?" Ayane, his wife, said, distressed by what she's heard.
"Keep an eye on things here, I shouldn't be long." he responded, putting on his white haori, strapping Kinpika to his waist, and walking out. On his way out the door, he noticed Soren approaching.
"Yo, Hachi!" he said, hand raised in greeting. "I was just about to drop by and...and..." Soren faltered when he noticed his brother's serious look. "What's wrong? Did I do or say something I shouldn't have, or...?"
"Soren, come with me." Heihachi commanded. "We're going to check out the Uchiha Clan Compound."
"Wait, what? Can I ask why?"
"Isamu just sensed a LOT of people dying over there, and you know how his Spiritual Sense is. We need to find out what's happening."
Soren's expression turned from confused, to grave. "Right. Let's go." he said, grasping Zabimaru's hilt. The brothers took off with the Flash Step Jutsu.
"So that's how..." Itachi said in surprise. "It seems I really do owe young Isamu my life."
"I only wish we'd gotten here sooner." Soren said, glancing over at Sasuke, then back at the Masked Man, anger written on his face.
"Well." The Masked Man started. "My plans involved making as little noise as possible to avoid attention, then you two come down here and muck it up by all but banging pots together. I'll never be able to kill any of you in time before others show up, so I think I'll be on my way. Congratulations, Itachi. You get to live after all. I can't wait to see what you become." A strange vortex then started to form, and seemed to draw the man in.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" the Yamamotos yelled in unison, launching forward to attack him. However, as soon as they reached him and preformed a simultaneous attack, the man had vanished.
"Dammit, he's gone!" Soren shouted in frustration. "I don't sense him anywhere. Brother, can you...?"
"No." Heihachi responded in defeat. "Whatever he just did, he's long gone."
"Sasuke!"
The brothers turned, seeing Itachi had moved to Sasuke as soon as the danger had passed, and was now holding him in his arms. The pair resealed and sheathed their zanpakuto, and rushed right over.
"Hold on, little brother. It'll be all right, just hold on!" Itachi pleaded.
"Ita...Itachi..." Sasuke managed to utter. "W-why...are you...?"
Soren had knelt down next to the Uchihas, doing a Mystic Palm Jutsu to scan Sasuke's wound. Most Yamamoto decide to learn not just the clan-centric jutsu, but also regular jutsu as well, to remain versatile. Soren had opted to go with Clan Jutsu followed by Medical Ninjutsu instead, to be of extra use in the battlefield.
The younger Yamamoto sibling then formed a scowl in frustration, ending the jutsu.
"Well?" Itachi demanded. "Is he going to make it?"
"I'm sorry..." Soren said regretfully. "I'm so sorry...with the state he's in, we won't make it to the hospital in time if we try to move him, I'm not sure I can heal him properly myself, and...Sasuke's already lost too much blood. I just...I can't..." He seemed at a loss for words.
"No..." Itachi couldn't believe what he was hearing. All the effort, the bloodshed he'd committed, all to keep Sasuke safe...now was all for naught. He held his brother tighter.
"I'm so sorry Sasuke!" Itachi lamented, tears already beginning to fall down his face. "Oh God, I'm so sorry! This wasn't how it was supposed to happen!"
"Brother...I don...don't understand..." Sasuke murmured. "You s-said...that you-" He stopped, coughing up a bit of blood.
"I lied, Sasuke, it was all a lie. I was trying to save you. I..." Itachi paused, then continued.
He began to tell Sasuke everything, about the planned Uchiha Coup, about Shisui's death, the deal with Danzo, their parents' final words, all of it. He used as few words as possible, as he didn't know how much more time was left. He knew Heihachi and Soren were RIGHT THERE, and he was spilling a huge secret. But his little brother, the one he'd done all this to save, was bleeding out in his arms. Secrecy could go to hell for all he cared.
"That's the real reason why." Itachi said, finishing his explanation. "The Uchiha's pride had gone out of control, and they needed to be stopped. You were meant to be the clan's redemption, but now...I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I know I don't even deserve the right to ask, but...please, forgive me, little brother."
Itachi started a bit when he felt Sasuke put his hand on his own.
"I...think that I get it...a-at least a bit..." Sasuke wheezed. "You were...doing what you thou...thought was right. Sacrificing your...own happiness. Trying to...to save m-me."
Sasuke weakly began to reach up, and used two fingers to poke Itachi in the forehead. Itachi gasped in surprise.
"It's...alright, big brother." Sasuke muttered, a small smile on his face. "Not your...fault. I don't hate you. I don't..."
Sasuke's eyes then began to drift shut, his arm descending.
"Sasuke..."Itachi cried in denial. "SASUKE!"
It was no good. His precious little brother could no longer hear him. Sasuke Uchiha was no more.
Itachi continued to weep, as slowly but surely, the weight of the everything that has happened tonight began to settle on him. Until, finally, he broke.
"AAAAAAUUUUUGGGHHH!" Itachi wailed, a cry of anguish echoing into the night.
Heihachi and Soren stood by, silently mourning with Itachi, while giving him a little more time. Soon, the question needed to be asked.
"Itachi." Heihachi started. "Everything you told Sasuke...that was all true?"
"Yes." Itachi croaked out.
"Danzo..." Soren muttered angrily. "When I get my hands on that old bastard, I'll-"
"Soren." Heihachi said warningly.
"We're not just gonna let this go unanswered!" Soren responded loudly.
"No, we won't. We're going to see Lord Hiruzen. All of us." Heihachi bent down to the grieving Uchiha. "Itachi, come. We'll bring Sasuke's body with us."
Itachi slowly got to his feet, still holding his little brother close. "Right." he said in a hollow tone.
The three shinobi turned in the direction of Hokage Tower, and leapt away, leaving the scene of carnage behind.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat back in his office's chair in relief. He'd finally completed all the thrice-damned paperwork left on his desk today. Being Hokage had its pros and cons, one of the cons being the demonic levels of paperwork. Now that he was finished, he could finally go get some sleep.
"Perhaps I should try Shadow Clones to help do my paperwork one of these days." he thought to himself.
As he was about to get up, he felt a presence at his office window. Which usually meant Jiraiya was visiting/reporting in. Why his pupil refused to use the door, he'd never know.
However, his speculation was proven wrong as the window opened, and three figures shot in, standing in front of his desk. It was Heihachi and Soren Yamamoto, with Itachi Uchiha just behind and between them, holding something in his arms he couldn't quite make out. All three looked quite put-out.
"Heihachi, Soren, Itachi." Hiruzen said in surprise. "What is the meaning of this unexpected visit? Through my office window no less."
"Apologies, Lord Hokage." Heihachi stated. "But as you can see, it was extremely urgent." Heihachi looked towards Itachi as he said this.
Hiruzen followed his gaze, seeing Itachi's front was covered in quite a lot of blood, though it didn't seem like it was his. Then he finally noticed what the bundle Itachi carried really was. The body of his little brother Sasuke, dead.
"My word!" he exclaimed, sitting forward. "What is the meaning of this?! What's happened?!"
"The Anbu need to be dismissed, Lord Hokage." Soren replied glumly. "We have classified intel we need to relay about the situation."
Hiruzen nodded, and waved his hand. "Leave us." he ordered. Several previously unseen shadows, the Anbu Black Ops, promptly left the room.
"Go ahead." Hiruzen said. Itachi stepped forward.
He told Hiruzen exactly what he'd told Sasuke (and subsequently Heihachi and Soren), without mincing words this time. As he went on, the Third's face grew increasingly stony.
As Itachi finished, Hiruzen looked down in contemplation, then back up at Sasuke's corpse. His hands clenched tightly into fists, then he abruptly stood up, and slammed them into his desk, nearly cracking it. Rage was written across the old Hokage's face
"EAGLE!"
An Eagle-masked Anbu appeared at his call.
"TAKE THE ANBU AND GET ME DANZO SHIMURA, IMMEDIATELY!" he screamed. "BY FORCE IF NECESSARY!"
"Yessir!" Eagle replied quickly, leaving as fast as he'd arrived.
A while later, the door opened and in walked the wizened form of Danzo, his Anbu escort shutting the door behind him.
"Hiruzen, there had better be a good explanation for this." Danzo demanded. "Sending an entire squad of Anbu just to...retrieve me." He faltered in his speech when he noticed the old Hokage was absolutely seething. Rare were the moments where his oldest friend became truly angry at something.
"Maybe you should explain YOURSELF, Danzo." Hiruzen snapped. "What have you done?"
Danzo was no fool. He knew exactly what he was referring to, it had simply been a matter of time before he'd found out.
"Then I take it that Itachi here was successful in his assign..." The old war-hawk's eye widened when he saw Itachi's brother in his arms. "...ment." he finished lamely.
"The Uchiha Clan has been summarily wiped out." Heihachi stated. "Itachi is the only survivor."
"Then it seems the danger is at an end. The Uchiha are no longer a threat to the village."
"At the cost of Sasuke's life." Itachi replied tensely.
"If that is the price needed be paid to ensure the Hidden Leaf's safety, then so be it." Danzo said sternly.
"That is not all that will be paid tonight, Danzo." Hiruzen retorted. "You went behind my back, acting without permission. As punishment, you are hereby removed from the Leaf Council, effective immediately."
"What?!" Danzo blurted.
"I also hereby order you to dissolve your Root Organization, effective immediately."
"You cannot do this!"Danzo argued
"I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen barked. "Do not pretend to tell me what I can and cannot do!"
Danzo and the Third glared at each other for a while. "...very well." Danzo grumbled. "It shall be as you say."
"Mark my words, Sarutobi. This will not be the end of it." Danzo thought as he left the room.
"Good. Now, there is the next matter. We must cover up the truth about tonight's events."
During the glare-off, Soren had removed his own white haori, those only given to the best of the Yamamoto Clan, taken Sasuke's body from Itachi, wrapping him in it, and placing him respectfully on the floor. As he got back up, he asked, "Itachi, your plan was to leave the village as a criminal after taking full blame for the clan's annihilation, right?"
"Yes, that's right." Itachi's voice still held little emotion, broken as he was.
"Well, fuck that plan. It's not necessary."
Itachi shook his head no. "Someone needs to take the fall, the Hidden Leaf cannot be implicated."
Soren smiled. "I know. We already have a fall guy. That Masked bastard that killed Sasuke."
"The man who claimed to be Madara?" asked Hiruzen. "Is it even possible that he was telling the truth of his identity? Madara Uchiha died ages ago."
"It's possible." Heihachi piped up. "Grandfather was a part of his and Hashirama Senju's generation, and HE'S still around and healthy as ever, though still very old. We still can't get him to tell us how. However, the most likely case is that he was simply using the name to cause fear, nothing more."
"I agree." Hiruzen nodded. "The idea of Madara living this long even HAD he survived the battle at the Valley of the End..."
"Which Old Man Genryusai said he sensed Madara was dead back then..." Soren interrupted.
"...is rather preposterous."
"That being said, I agree with Soren." Heihachi continued. "As we were both there, we can act as eyewitness. We're both well-respected in the village, our word will be plenty enough."
"That way, Itachi can stay in the village, it's brilliant!" concluded Soren.
"I'm not sure if I deserve to..." Itachi said uncertainly.
"Nonsense." Hiruzen declared. "Itachi, you were prepared to sacrifice everything for the sake of the village. You practically have already. I think you definitely deserve to stay."
"Besides," Heihachi added. "You're the last Uchiha. It's up to you now to redeem the clan, lead it out of darkness for good."
Itachi stood there in contemplation. He was still for a while longer, then made his decision.
"Very well." he answered. "I will stay."
"You're welcome to stay with us in the Yamamoto District, Itachi. We have plenty of room." offered Heihachi. Itachi gave him a raised eyebrow. "I figured you might not want to stay in the Uchiha Compound anymore, not with...well...everything."
Itachi smiled slightly. "I appreciate the offer, Lord Heihachi. I think I'll accept."
"Good. My children could use someone else to look up to, It'd be a nice change from this guy here." Heihachi jerked his thumb over at his brother.
"HEY!" Soren retorted. "What the Hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"I dunno. What do you think?" Heihachi smirked. Soren growled in response, though not really meaning it.
Itachi's smile faded though, as he was reminded of another matter. "There is one more thing."
"Oh? What's that, Itachi?" Hiruzen asked.
"Sasuke's eyes. They need to be preserved."
"Whatever for?" Soren questioned.
Itachi then went of to explain the workings of the Mangekyou Sharingan, how his eyesight would degrade with use, and that transplanting a blood relative's eyes is the only way to avert blindness.
"I see." Hiruzen remarked. "That is rather important."
"We can keep them safe for him once properly preserved." Heihachi added. "Few can get past our best Binding Style jutsu."
"Very well. It seems we have a lot of work ahead of us."
The next day, the events of the previous night had come to light. The announcement was made, the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out. An unknown masked assailant had infiltrated the Clan Compound and systematically slaughtered them all. Only Itachi was able to survive, thanks to the timely intervention of Clan Head Heihachi Yamamoto and his brother.
A funeral was held for the clan as a whole, with several of its key members receiving mention, even young Sasuke. Even those present who weren't fans of the Uchiha as a whole were very somber. The funeral concluded with the Yamamoto Clan's traditional sendoff. The bodies in the Clan Compound were removed, and most of the mess cleaned up. A memorial was erected near the entrance with the Clan Symbol on top, and it was ruled that nobody sans Itachi was allowed to set foot within it, unless they had Itachi's permission.
It was at the entrance that Itachi stood later that day, recalling the years he'd spent growing up here, mostly the years he'd spent with Sasuke. His little brother, one of the bright points in his life, gone forever.
'I'm sorry, Sasuke.' Itachi thought. 'I will make sure you didn't die in vain. The Uchiha WILL be redeemed.'
"Itachi!"
He tuned toward the sound of the familiar voice calling his name. Approaching him at speed was a young woman with black eyes and long brown hair tied in a ponytail with two locks framing her face. She also wore a light shade of lipstick and had the traditional fang-like tattoos of the Inuzuka clan on both cheeks, in addition to a tattoo on her upper right arm that resembles a flower. Her attire consisted of a form-fitting variation of the Konoha flak jacket without chest pockets and a pair of form-fitting shorts cut just above the knee. His girlfriend, Hana Inuzuka.
Few knew how exactly they got together in the first place. The two had gone on a mission together once, which had ended up testing their loyalty to the Hidden Leaf. Itachi had always admired the loyalty the Inuzuka had for the village, and seeing it in action with Hana had put her in a good light with him. It certainly helped that she had always treated him like any other guy, unlike the usual...fangirls *shudder*.
They had become good friends after that, and that friendship blossomed into something more after Hana had asked him out. Or more accurately, walked up and demanded that he meet her for a date in the village. He'd been caught completely off guard, and agreed. It turned out to be one of the best decisions he'd ever made. Hana was a lot more laid back and even-tempered than most of her family, and was a very loving individual.
It didn't hurt that the Uchiha Clan had heavily disapproved of their relationship either. He almost expected the Inuzuka to be nearly as unhappy, but to his surprise, they'd accepted him gladly.
Hana tackled him into a hug, and he stood there and accepted it.
"Are you okay?" Hana asked worriedly. "Wait, no, of course you're not okay. You just lost your little brother and the rest of your clan. I mean...will you be alright, or something?"
"In time, I think." Itachi responded. The couple stood there in silence for a few moments, gazing upon the Uchiha memorial. Then Itachi spoke up again.
"Hana..." he began.
"Yes?"
"...I have something I need to tell you." He'd been thinking on this, and he decided that he wanted to tell Hana the truth. He didn't think he should keep this from the woman he loved. "It's about the massacre, an S-Class secret that you must not repeat to anyone. Although...you may want nothing to do with me after I tell you."
"What?" she wondered, now even more worried. "Why would you think that?"
"Because what I'm about to tell you is...heinous."
"Hold on there." Came a voice. The pair turned to the road, and Soren Yamamoto appeared via Flash Step Jutsu.
"Lord Soren!" Hana exclaimed. "What...?"
Soren said nothing, but preformed a few hand seals. Suddenly, a square barrier shimmered into existence around them, then faded away.
"There. Privacy Barrier Jutsu." Soren said. "Now nobody can hear or see us, hell, they won't even know we're here, unless they're a Yamamoto. Even a Hyuuga will only see a shimmer of chakra." He turned to Hana. "Don't worry, I'm in on the secret too. If you really feel the need to tell her, Itachi, then go ahead."
"Itachi, I don't understand." Hana pleaded. "What the hell is going on?!"
"Hana...I was involved in the massacre itself." Itachi admitted.
"...what?"
Itachi began to tell her the whole sordid tale. The planned coup, the deal with Danzo, the Masked Man, his role in the event, everything. He held nothing back. By the end, Hana was tearing up, hand at her mouth.
"Now you know the truth." he finished. "And you know what I have made myself. A monster. If you wish to break up with me, I will understand."
Hana looked up at him in shock. "B-break up with you? Why would I...?"
"I'm a MURDERER, Hana. I slaughtered my kinsman, as if they were animals. It wouldn't be surprising if you chose to find another. How could you love a man who would do such a-"
He was cut off when his head snapped to the side, as Hana cuffed him. Not just smacked, but cuffed him.
"SHUT UP!" she screamed, tears now running down her face. "IDIOT! Do you feel remorse for what you did?! Regret?!"
Itachi still a little stunned, simply nodded.
"Then you're NOT a monster! You're still human, Itachi!" She grabbed him in an inescapable hug. "I understand why you did what you did. But what you did doesn't change the fact that you're my mate, and I love you. You understand that, Itachi Uchiha?! If you don't, then I'll just beat the understanding into you, and you of all people know how hard my dogs and I hit with our Twin Fang over Fang!"
Itachi stood there a little while longer, still a bit stunned. She still loved him. She still loved him even after all he'd done. He smiled as relief washed over him, and he returned her hug.
"Thank you, Hana." he said gratefully. "I love you too."
She looked up at him, smiling back, then grabbed the back of his head and brought him in for a kiss. This lasted for several seconds until they heard a brief chuckle, and broke apart, reminded that they had an audience.
"Sorry, Lord Soren." Hana apologized. "We'll just take this elsewhere-"
"No need." Soren denied, turning away. "I can go, you two can use the Privacy Barrier as long as you need."
"Um, really?"
Soren turned back, big grin on his face. "What, you think this thing was created solely for the purposes of hiding in a battlefield? Oh no, this barrier is used by Yamamoto-involved couples ALL the time."
Hana blushed a bit at the thought. The corner of Itachi's mouth twitched up.
"Don't have too much fun, Itachi, Hana!" Soren stepped out of the barrier's boundaries, and Stepped away. Itachi rolled his eyes.
...
Well, there we have it. The beginning to a Naruto fic long in waiting. Now, I'm gonna skip ahead next chapter to the Team assignments, but right here I'm gonna go over some of the events of what happens between there and now. I tried to write them out, really I did. Every time I tried, I dunno, every new draft just didn't FEEL right. If someone wants to help me out in this sector before I get the next chapter up, feel free to PM me and we'll discuss. Otherwise, I'm gonna stop beating my skull into a brick wall. Anyway, here I go...
Several students (read: Sasuke's fangirls) quit the academy, and Ino and Sakura are wondering if they should too. Isamu steps up and gives them words of encouragement, saying they should all get stronger to protect one another, inspiring them and their classmates to keep on keeping on. Ino, naturally, has her Clan to fall back on, but Sakura doesn't have that luxury. Isamu suggests that she come train with him, Hoshiko, and Naruto with his Clan. She can't learn anything clan-centric, but there ARE things she can be taught. In fact, she becomes quite exceptional with the usage of Ninja tools and trap-making, while also learning to channel chakra to her limbs to hit a little harder (as a precursor to Tsunade's training). She also increases her chakra reserves a fair bit.
Oh right, Naruto. MOST of his life, he's still lonely as is canon. However, Isamu and Hoshiko eventually decide they want to try and befriend this boy, and succeed. The Yamamoto, unlike the rest of the Village, holds little to no contempt towards Naruto, the of-age knowing that the Fox is not his fault. Naruto and Isamu eventually became best friends and began a friendly rivalry. The rest of the village knows better than to try their usual shit on the Yamamoto kids, so settle for harsh glares and whispers on Naruto from then on.
Another change that occurs is Hinata. She is drawn in to their circle of friends, mainly due to Isamu noticing how she feels about his best friend. She likewise is invited to train with the Yamamoto, and Hiashi is somewhat lenient about it, due to the long-standing alliance between the Yamamoto and the Hyuuga from before the founding of the Leaf. When the elders bitched about several 'issues', Hiashi said that there were equal opportunities for secret techniques to be exposed between clans, and that the alliance made it moot anyway.
Eventually, Isamu and Sakura both develop feelings for one another, but both are a little too embarassed/shy/afraid of rejection to outright say anything. Their best friends, however (Naruto and Ino, a.k.a. The Blondies), know fully well and have been conspiring to push them together.
Naruto, while slightly improved from canon, still fails the exam, and Mizuki takes advantage of this as usual. When Naruto goes missing with the scroll, this time Hinata finds out and goes looking for him too. She beats Iruka there, and is present for the Big Reveal. After Mizuki takes a clone legion to the face and Iruka passes Naruto, Hinata says she accepts him regardless of the Fox. Which leads us to present day.
Jeez, that was troublesome. Anyway, I'm gonna go ahead and shout out my reviewers, favorite-ers and followers from ages ago.
Naroku: Review, Favorite, and Follow
MYK-ON: Review, and Follow
Mike Uzumaki-Heartfilla: Review, Favorite, and Follow
Thanks, guys! Sorry I took so Goddamed long. And remember, You just lost The Game.
LLaP