Disclaimer: don't own Naruto, don't want any profit from this.
AN: I had this up before, until I went on a rampage and removed everything. As it turns out, I do not have the back-up of all the chapters, nor do I have the final edits of everything, and the time-frame for this(which i started writing around the time we discovered Obito was Tobi) has passed in the manga, I think, but I'm reuploading the chapters I have backed up.
It would make me happy if you could leave a review :).
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2
The phoenix rises from the ashes
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Uchiha Itachi is fourteen when he enlists Obito's help to eradicate the Uchiha clan.
The first time Obito sees Itachi is action in when he is on a solo ANBU mission. Obito follows him from the border of Leaf, hiding in the shadows, watching the young boy proceed through an assassination mission with meticulous precision. Everything is planned, from the cornering of the Grass ninja, to the method of death and disposal of the body.
The only time Itachi shows any hesitation is when it is time to deliver the final blow. But the other ninja, a jounin much older and more experienced than Itachi, is already trapped within a genjutsu, so even the moment's hesitation does not cost Itachi anything.
Obito, watching from the shadows, is impressed with the boy.
He follows Itachi and watches him execute five more missions with the same precision before he is satisfied.
He watches Itachi with Sasuke, a completely different person from the one he is on missions. The emotionless façade is replaced by laughter, and though his eyes look tired and the shadows under them still remains, Itachi exudes contentment.
The boy is soft, but he is dedicated.
The boy is kind hearted, but for the good of his village, he will resort to killing, even at such a young age.
With the right amount of exertion and molding, Uchiha Itachi can become the weapon Obito needs.
Obito approaches Itachi a few months after he is made ANBU caption, an exceptionally rare feat for one who is only thirteen.
Masquerading as Madara, Obito lures the boy with stories of power and vengeance, of the bloodstained past of the Sharingan, and the revenge he wants to unleash on the Uchiha for rallying with the Senju against him.
"Join me," he says, "I will teach you things you never dreamt of, Uchiha Itachi. I will make your eyes the most powerful in the Uchiha bloodline."
Just as he predicted, offer of power does not appeal to Itachi.
He is quick to say no, and quick to flee the scene, only because Itachi is smart and calculating and knows that he cannot take Obito on by himself.
Obito knows he has chosen the right Uchiha. Now, he only needs to tap the roots for the Uchiha Massacre to become a reality.
It is almost six months after Obito's initial offer that Itachi comes to meet him on top of the Hokage summit. Just as Obito knows he would, he lays out the terms: He will help Obito- still Madara to him- get his revenge on the Uchiha; in return, the rest of Konoha must be left untouched.
Obito trains Itachi in doujutsu for two weeks. It is after Itachi has acquired the Mangekyou, and Obito finds a surge of pride at how quickly the boy picks up.
They attack the Uchiha on the night of the Uchiwa festival; an yearly event held in the Uchiha district and a sure time to make sure nobody is away on missions or any other business.
Side by side, they slay their kin, their own flesh and blood. Itachi is as flawless as Obito predicted. He does not stray from the task, and he does not spare anyone, be it man, woman or child. But he is gentle in his killing, taking the time to trap each individual in a genjutsu before he runs his sword through them. loathe as Obito is to let this useless display of affection and respect slide, Itachi is but a child and this is his family, so Obito refrains from reprimanding. Itachi cries when his parents speak to him, and for a moment, Obito thinks he might have to step in, but Itachi cuts them through clean, swift and efficient even through the tears and evident distress.
It is only when little Sasuke jogs up that Itachi hesitates. He does not kill Sasuke, but that is the plan. It takes a while, but Itachi controls himself long enough to trap his little brother in the illusion that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
They leave immediately, taking the route Itachi was given, and there is nobody to stop him. They make the best use of the hour the Hokage has given them, and when they stop three hours later in the middle of a huge expanse of woods, they are clear of any shinobi hunting them.
It is only then that Itachi sinks down to his knees and retches.
Obito watches from the darkness and realizes how right he is to have taken this path. This wretched world where children are made to shoulder all the burdens and mistakes of adults, where little boys are made to sacrifice their morals—he was going to burn this world to ashes. And from that ashes, he would build a new world, a better world.