Tadaima!
20
This…is YOUR CHILD?
Okaasan—
Kenji, you fathered a DEMON!
Stiffened.
Okaasan— he looked down to the tiny child. Hime-chan, don't listen to her. He took her small hand and turned towards the giant doors.
Kenji-kun…
He stopped but didn't look back. Don't talk to me, Umi-san. This child is my flesh and blood! And she's not a demon! He yelled at his seething, wide-eyed mother.
GO TO HELL WITH YOUR DAUGHTER!
Wide eyes. Okaasan…
GO TO HELL! Go to hell where you…and that bastard and that whore belong!
Fa…father…
Don't listen! He said sharply. Cover your ears!
She's going to kill us all, Kenji! That child… is destined to burn this world!
The child trembled at the woman's hostility.
A demon has no place in this world! Our clan…is ruined!
Father…father…
GO TO HELL! She snarled at the frightened child.
Angry, he jerked his child and dragged her towards the door.
Our clan is ruined from the beginning.
The old woman seethed.
Our clan… deserved to be burned! And someday… It will be her— my child— that will put an end to everything. She will become the object that will destroy all of us… at the same time, the person who will create the world out of the ashes.
…
The sin of our clan… She will shoulder it. And I hope I'll live long enough to help her.
With his last words, he completely turned away.
Kenji-kun! A black long-haired woman with straight bangs and dark almond-shaped eyes called out, reaching out a hand to touch his arm. But the man jerked his arm away.
Don't touch me.
Where are you going?
To Hell, where else?
Kenji-kun…
RIGHT! Fathering a demon in a guise of a cute child! True, that child has an innocent face but what dwells from within is a horrifying demon!
DEMON!
The small child was aghast.
DEMON!
DEMON!
Don't call her like that! Father shouted.
I am a…
I hate myself.
KILL HIM!
The child's eyes widened in fear.
KILL HIM! KILL THAT BASTARD!
Father…!
And that bitch! Kill the little bitch! I won't allow that object to live just to destroy everything. Our clan…will continue to rise above the ranks.
Kenji-kun…RUN!
UMI…!
KENJI-KUN!
They're gonna kill my father…
Hurt Father…
Kill Father…
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!
SPLASH. Lots of blood.
UMIIIIIIIII…!
Umi…san…
BLOOD. LOTS OF BLOOD.
Umi…san…
BLOOD. LOTS OF BLOOD.
Don't look! He screamed in horror. DON'T LOOK!
But I can't. They killed her. They KILLED HER. And the blood… so much blood. I felt a chill running down my spine. It was a delicious tingle.
KILL HIM! KILL THE LITTLE BITCH! She's not human! A product of man's insanity...the insane quest for immortality and power! They used our family...and produce a DOLL to hunt us down!
They killed Umi-obaasan. The only person who ever smiled at me. Except from Father. Her body…in many pieces.
Why? Why? Why? For the sake of… Father. For me.
My father was screaming at me: CLOSE YOUR EYES! CLOSE YOUR EYES—
And I was scared.
I was so, so, so, so scared.
They will kill my father next.
They will hurt him.
They will… kill… my… father.
…
…
…
…
I WON'T LET THEM!
A loud explosion. Large, white-hot fire burst from the child's tiny feet. They curled and slithered across the floor and grew several feet, touching the ceiling. Everywhere were people's screams. Flames danced and multiplied. Fire burst and spread.
((KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…))
STOP! DON'T! I can hear my father screamed. But the house went off with a huge explosion. The west wing crumbled, engulfed in fire. Wood, bricks and marbles fell in large chunks. The front yard exploded with loud whirring sound.
They will… kill… my… father.
They will… kill… my… father.
They will… kill… my… father.
Eventually, more and more flames appeared until they rose higher and higher…
((KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…))
And swallowed the whole house.
In other words.
I killed my own clan.
In simpler words.
I burned them.
21
"Sasuke-kun…" Orochimaru smiled at him. No, he barred his yellow teeth. Sasuke grimaced in disgust.
"Orochimaru."
"Surprised?" Orochimaru asked, amused.
Sasuke lowered his lids. "Why are you here?" Kabuto stepped out from Orochimaru's shadow.
"Why?" Orochimaru laughed cruelly. "Of course, for the weapon! The weapon is mine."
The dark-haired boy lifted an eyebrow. "Yours? The Hei ko Shi Hen Kei product is not yours. It is Konoha's."
The man's yellow eyes seemed to contract. "Konoha's?" he laughed again. "It IS mine!" he roared. "Now that you had served your purpose, I must eliminate you."
A minute look of surprise. Sasuke looked at him sharply. "What is my purpose?"
Orochimaru smiled at him sinisterly. "Did you ever wonder why they sent you alone?"
"…"
Seeing Sasuke's blank look, he smiled in triumph. His eyes roved the place. "Yondaime Hokage…" he started, "created this laboratory."
"…!" Sasuke was stunned and looked around. The room was steel-walled with high ceiling and TV and computer screens were attached all over the walls form the ceiling to the bottom. Thick, corded and small wires alike curled covered the walls. Several zigzagged the ground, mostly attached to the computer sets surrounding the center. The screens showed the three of them in different angles.
"He put this place under heavy and powerful Genjutsu that only a Sharingan can see through. He made you and your Sharingan the keys on lifting the illusion." He gave another of his crooked smiles. "Now after a decade, the Genjutsu is lifted and it's thanks to you."
The Yondaime…Hokage made me the key to lift the Twilight Forest illusion he put on this laboratory. Discreetly, his eyes traveled around the room. At the middle of the room was a large water tank with greenish water inside it. Surrounding the tank were large apparatuses, a computer set and pillar that supported the tank. Wires as thick 15 water hoses combined circulated the tank, and several were attached to the bottom of the tank, and the largest cable wire was attached to the top of the tank. He could not see what was inside the tank. The water was thick and green-blue.
Again, a female digitalized voice resounded across the room.
'BLOOD PRESSURE 60, 65, 70, 72… NORMAL. CHECK THE HEARTBEAT COUNT'
'CHECKED'
'PROJECT PARALLELOGRAM'
'SYSTEM ACTIVATED'
"I apologize, Sasuke-kun. You see, I wanted you but now…" Orochimaru shook his head. The boy clenched his jaw in disgust. "…I don't think you'll be nice to me. And I have set my eyes to the higher prize."
Why me? Why? Sasuke dropped to his fighting stance as Kabuto launched himself forward.
'CHECK FOR REPIRATORY RATE…3, 2, 1…
NORMAL.'
Kabuto's speed increased in an alarming level. His attack became harder…while Orochimaru bid his time, walking up to the pillar. Sasuke saw him smile, looking up at the large glass tank, a grin began to spread in his yellowish face.
'STABILIZE…
BREATHING…'
'CHECK SYSTEM…1, 2, 3…'
Bastard! Sasuke cursed and evaded the attack—
…
…
…
…can you hear me?
"…!!"
Sasuke was caught off-guard, hearing a voice whisper inside his head. Distracted, he tripped.
"I have to leave Konoha for the sake of the person I love…"
"Damn it!" he cursed, gritting his teeth as the voice grew louder.
"All the things have souls and hearts. Don't you know? Your puppy loves you."
"Damn it all…!" He lifted his gaze heavy with red haze. Orochimaru was…Orochimaru was…pressing keys to lift the glass that covers the tank…
The Weapon…the Hei Ko shi hen kei Product…
"Don't…" he croaked, gritting his teeth. He remembered…this feeling…the cold fingers touching his…forehead…
"No…don't…"
Taking…away…taking…away…
Flying away…flying away…
"Don't…take…-"
22
Eleven years ago.
Sasuke-kun…
Sasuke-kun…
He jolted awake, his forehead cold.
"Sasuke-kun!"
"Okaasan." The boy said flatly, his eyes blank and cold. His mother glanced to the Third Hokage standing next to her.
The old man waved his hand. "Don't worry. He's okay."
His father was frowning. "What did you just did to my son?"
The old Third Hokage looked intently at the boy.
"I erased his memories of that girl."
23
"I WILL PROTECT YOU."
He snapped his eyes open. Just in time to evade Kabuto's attack. He growled, whipped his kunai up and sank the blade into Kabuto's left leg.
"Shithead…"
He growled and got up. He rushed to Orochimaru and— Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu! He thought angrily but too late, the glass tank broke into shards, the green-blue liquid rushed out leaving the weapon unprotected from Orochimaru's vile grasp.
Water rushed out in waves. Sasuke avoided being splashed by torrential wave of the liquid. The weapon was unprotected. He frowned. What does it look like? A large sword? Must be. A large bazooka? Maybe. A weapon greater than his fire jutsu? And Mangekyou Sharingan? Tsukiyomi? Ameterasu?
Must be.
He watched as the liquid flowed out to reveal the weapon but suddenly, everything went orange-red.
The weapon burst into flame, a very large and angry flame.
24
Looked like that the weapon does not like to be disturbed. It burst into flame and everything caught fire. The walls suddenly lit up and the screen exploded with loud bang. Tall fire trenches slithered across the room, burning everything in its path. Flames casted long large shadows in the walls as it flicked and danced.
Sasuke was gaping. What's happening?
The long tongue of flame whipped around the laboratory, Sasuke ducked to avoid being toasted. Glass breaking, debris falling apart.
'BREATHING STABILIZES'
"HEARTBEAT:
NORMAL'
'BLOOD PRESSURE:
NORMAL'
A larger mushroom-shaped fire burst apart. Orochimaru roared. "THE WEAPON AWAKENS!"
'THE HEI KO SHI HEN KEI…'
Sasuke was thrown backward as the force of the flame drove him back. It's so fucking hot! Sweat dripped all over his face and body…so hot…so hot…so hot— More glasses broke. Evading a particularly large ball of fire, Sasuke hit a large glass plane which broke into pieces under his weight. "Oh shit…that fucking hurts…" he groaned, lying there with glass shards piercing his skin.
'…HEI KO SHI HEN KEI…'
Broken glass rained down to him. "Damn it!" He raged. Sharingan whirled angrily.
"Wake up already!"
'3…2…1…'
'UCHIHA SASUKE-SAMA:
WELCOME…'
Sasuke blinked. What—
"Hi!"
A feminine voice. Cute and musical.
"Hey, mister, are you alright?"
That voice again.
'PROJECT SAKURA COMMENCES'
Sakura—
He averted his eyes quickly. Now that name…sounds so… He looked around. A shadow stood in front of him against the shades of red and orange, smoke and broken screens. It was slim and sexy.
And…oh god.
Naked.
"Hi!"
A naked girl with pink hair and golden green eyes stood in front of him, smiling at him.
'I'm home…!'
A soft whisper in his ear…
Welcome home.
'PROJECT SAKURA'
…3…2…1—
'MEET UCHIHA SASUKE'
Pause. In a warped digitalized voice—
'YOUR MASTER'
'Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!'
