Disclaimer:
I don't own anything.
Really I don't...
Except this fic:D
Re-scheduling and Re-enactment:
Uchiha Sasuke was in a terrible mood. The outcome of the altercation two days ago hadn't exactly been in his favor. Sure,Naruto had survived but he had still been completely outclassed by the assassin. Worst of all,he had just heard from the horse's mouth that his best friend had had the assassin on the ropes before Itachi's intervention. Sure,Naruto was a Jinchūriki but he was an Uchiha,dammit.
Sasuke reclined in the hospital bed bemoaning the fact that he was stuck in this white-covered hell while Naruto and Itachi further surpassed him. If he had it his way,he would have been out of here the same day as the forementioned incident but Itachi had prevented that because the medical personnel needed to assess him properly to prevent further compilations. No decent ninja enjoyed being stuck in a hospital and Sasuke was no exception.
His thoughts shifted to despair as he kept reminiscing...
"How am I ever going to catch up to Itachi at this rate?"
After a few moments of deep thought,the peculiar Uchiha smirk crossed his features...
"What better way to prove myself than to defeat Naruto in a spar...?"
In a hidden Akatsuki base,
A spiky haired,orange - haired man in a black cloak spotted with red clouds walked in a dark carvern. What stood out most about the man wasn't the black piercings on his face but his purple eyes with concentric rings. Logically,this indicated a dojutsu...not just any one at that,the more enlightened would recognising this as the Rinnegan. Walking adjacent to him,was a blue haired woman with a lip piercing wearing the same cloak...this indicated some sort of uniform.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu" the man said,voice resonating with power.
A tall twisted looking husk appeared from the chakra - created smoke...the two inhabitants of the room jumped on top of the husk's fingers. Suddenly,'something' dug it'd way out of the ground,Venus - fly trap like covering around it's head,divided into black and white sporting a frown and a twisted grin respectively. The two partner's nonchalance at his entrance and the cloak he was wearing marked him as another member.
Faded projection - like figures appeared on some other fingers wearing the now expected cloak. A tall man wearing a half mask with a piercing green gaze,a hunched over,unnatural looking figure,a long black-haired,pale man sporting a creepy looking smile.
"Kakuzu,Sasori as is normal,this monthly meeting will begin with a rundown of our current finances and changes in the state of our targets."said the orange haired man to the green-eyed man and the hunched figure.
"Changes have been made to the Ichibi's Jinchūriki's seal in a bid to make him stronger. Though it will only be a minor inconvenience come collection" said Sasori.
" The Kyuubi's Jinchūriki is undergoing training from one 'Uchiha Itachi' "
"At our present rate barring any sudden changes we would have gathered adequate funds to begin Akatsuki's operation in about six years."said Kakuzu,the organization's accountant.
Throughout the proceedings,the pale man had been steadily looking more and more bored.
"Orochimaru" said the orange haired man.
"Yes,Leader-kun"said the pale man fixing his yellow-eyed,snake - like gaze on the latter man,managing to make 'Leader ' sound creepy. Suspiciously,Orochimaru looked hungry,why and for what could not be easily discerned,though the object of his hunger seemed to be the Leader of the Akatsuki.
"I have a mission for you,a very,rich client by name of 'Gato' wants a fellow competitor dead,you will be meeting up with him in Hi no Kuni,specifically it's capital...I hope your status a missing-nin from the country's hidden village won't affect your performance?"
"Of course not" Orochimaru replied,mildly affronted.
"Alright then"
The Leader of Akatsuki jumped down from his place on the husk's hands,closely followed by Konan. The plant-man hybrid retreated into the earth and the figures flickered away...
Night-time in Konohagakure,
Uchiha Hikaru was an average Uchiha ninja,not "Average" like the clan wanted it's foes to believe - where average was above most other ninja's skill level but a perfectly average Konoha ninja- chūnin rank,border patrol,nothing outstanding nin. The only thing remotely outstanding about Hikaru was his stealth skills - which had almost got him a place in Konoha's ANBU if not for his pitiful combat ability. Unfortunately or fortunately,depending on the way you look at it this was why the masked man had come to him. Easy to manipulate, replaceable,just useful enough for his mission - yes,he fit the bill perfectly. The masked man had introduced himself as Madara a few months ago during a mission and after an amazing show of force,Hikari had been forced to agree with that identity. The man had said he would be in touch and had provided Hikaru with a mission that would force the Uchiha to respect him and the village as a whole(right after the Uchiha had taken over it of course) and with the overwhelming force Madara possessed Hikaru had seen nothing suspicious about the mission. After all Madara would protect him if things went awry...he really should have looked 'underneath' the 'underneath'...
The forementioned ninja now found himself attempting to steal the Forbidden Scroll,entry had been easy,especially after a distraction from Madara and the Hokage was not in. Using the sample of blood given to him by Madara,where the man had found a sample of Hiruzen's blood to open the safe he really didn't want to know. Grabbing the Scroll of Seals from the open safe Hikaru turned,only to find himself staring at an ANBU mask. The ANBU attacked,throwing shiruken that Hikaru barely dodged-which was a miracle in itself considering his abysmal skills coupled with the hampering the Forbidden Scroll provided. Hikaru used the Scroll to block the next wave of shuriken as the ANBU drew close to finish him off. He hadn't managed to block all the weapons and the shallow cuts across his body gave evidence to that. His grimace turned into a smirk as Madara appeared,a spinning vortex indicating his entry. Madara cut off the ANBU's attack killing the woman with a kunai stab to the abdomen...Hikaru wondered why the masked man had not injured the ANBU in a way that promised instant death but shrugged,maybe Madara was just a sadist. As Hikaru made to move, Madara threw a single kunai from the ANBU's holster,right in the dead ANBU's former line of sight at Hikaru. Hikaru never noticed this,after all dead men don't notice much.
Morning of the next day,
Sarutobi Hiruzen was not in the best of moods,first of all he had been been woken up in the early hours of this morning,and by that he meant 1...and then he had found out that the Uchiha had made an attempt to steal the Forbidden Scroll - probably in an attempt to increase their brethren's combat ability for the upcoming coup. Tensions had been high and now Fugaku just had to cross the line with this...this was basically treason.
There was no proof of the rest of the clan's involvement but he knew better. The Uchiha had stopped going on missions outside the village,preferring to perform their duties as Konoha's Military Police,it was obvious mobilization and in another situation Hiruzen would have found it funny that Fugaku had thought he would get one over the present God of Shinobi.
That was why he had summoned Fugaku to the Hokage Tower by 9. Not too early that Fugaku would misplace it for panic and not too late that he would take it for the opposite.
Fugaku arrived in the Tower,calm and collected despite the circumstances surrounding his clan and the rest of the village - most importantly the Hokage.
"Fugaku,do you know why I've summoned you today" Sarutobi said,maintaining his outwardly grandfather appearance.
"No" Fugaku said,feigning ignorance - at least to the Hokage's ears.
"An Uchiha shinobi was found trying to steal a very important scroll of this village,would you happen to know any thing about that?" the Hokage said,keeping up the sickly sweet tone he was using.
"Of course not,the actions of a lone Uchiha do not represent the actions of the whole clan" Fugaku rebuffed,maintaining his own calm facade.
"I hope this doesn't stress things between the Uchiha and other ninja...You can go " Hiruzen said.
Fugaku stiffly bowed,walking out with a cold rage around him.
"One last thing,it will be very bad for the Uchiha if something like this ever happens again" said the Hokage.
The Uchiha clan head paused as he was about to grasp the door handle,frozen in shock at the blatant threat before firming his resolve and walking out the room.
That same day,
Uchiha Sasuke grinned as he walked happily through the streets following his brother to the usual training ground(set aside by the Hokage)where the latter boy and Naruto met to train. He had just been released from hell on earth and was looking forward to the spar with Naruto. The object of the Uchiha's thoughts was already on the field when the Uchiha brothers arrived.
Before the day's training could begin, Sasuke openly challenged Naruto - he was counting on Naruto's natural competitiveness to convince Itachi to let him spar. Itachi disagreed as expected, after all Sasuke had just been released from the hospital. But after a few minutes of pestering from both boys he finally agreed. Presently,the two faced off waiting for Itachi's signal to begin.
The Uchiha gave the signal and the two boys blurred into motion, Naruto darting back while throwing multiple shuriken and Sasuke rushing forward,eager to prove his superiority. Sasuke dodged some,before letting a kunai slip into his hand,deflecting the rest. Naruto threw three kunai that Sasuke deflected and jumped over. Sasuke lunged at Naruto with the kunai,who drew his own kunai and blocked Sasuke's attack. Sasuke leapt back,hands blurring through handseals before using a fire jutsu. This resulted in a charred log that Naruto had replaced himself with. Sasuke suddenly found himself on the defending end of the spectrum for the first time in the spar. Sasuke dodged the fists and kicks sent his way from the five shadow clones stabbing one,punching another and using a fire jutsu on the rest. Unfortunately, this allowed Naruto to place his first genjutsu on Sasuke. Sasuke did not know he was in one as he ran at Naruto, kunai in hand. His attack met nothing but air as the genjutsu "Demonic Illusion:False Surroundings Technique" took effect. Naruto who was farther than Sasuke had presumed, took advantage punching Sasuke in the gut and kicking the arm with the weapon to disarm him. A few punches later and the disoriented Sasuke was down. Itachi stopped the spar declaring Naruto the winner.
Naruto offered Sasuke his hand but the Uchiha slapped it away and walked off.
"How am I ever going to be the ninja tou-san wants me to be?"he thought while skulking off.
"Naruto is strong...and the Bijuu in him makes him even stronger...what holds back the Bijuu,but a seal...just maybe..."
The night of the same day,
Tensions were high in the Leaf village,what with Fugaku stepping up his plans for the coup. This was counter-acted by the fact that the Hokage had just given him,Uchiha Shisui an S-rank mission to stop the coup from ever beginning. The use of his Kotoamatsukami would suffice,of course.
He was running atop the rooftops headed straight for the Uchiha compound when he sensed an attack and managed to dodge,flickering away with his signature Shunshin which he had trained to incredible levels coupled with the Sharingan giving him an advantage in coping with such high speed movement had given him the name "Shunshin no Shisui"
As he stopped on a rooftop adjacent the one he had been running on,he faced a dark-haired man wearing a spiraled - orange mask.
"Who are you?" Shisui asked.
The man refused to reply,leaping off the rooftop and slashing at Shisui who dodged and kicked at the man who blocked. Shisui flickered away and sent a fireball his opponent's way which would also serve to alert any approaching ANBU to the scene.
Shisui swore he saw red in the assailant's eyes.
"An Uchiha" he thought,"how did Fugaku know-" he was forced to stop his train of thought as the man attacked. Shisui flickered away before appearing behind the man and stabbing with his kunai at the man's back. He slipped through him,managing to twist and land on his back for further defense. Unfortunately,coupled with the shock at what he knew was not an illusion he couldn't move in time to evade his opponent - who seemed to be moving faster now that he had suckered Shisui in. His Sharingan eyes only helped him watch as the man drove his kunai into his chest. The man grabbed Shisui and a moment later they vanished through a distortion in space. By the time the ANBU team arrived on the scene there was nothing to be found.
The two appeared in an alternate - like dimension,faded blue with lowered and raised platforms.
"Where are..?"Shisui started
"I need something from you" the masked man interjected reaching out for one of Shisui's eyes. Shisui tried weakly batting the man's hand away but a kunai stab to the shoulder later and he couldn't move the offending arm. His Sharingan captured in excruciating detail as the man's hand drew closer to his eyeball before reaching out and...
Shisui screamed
That same night,
Uchiha Itachi had been about to pass by a certain river when he spotted a limp body nearby. He nearly choked as he found Shisui lying still with kunais stuck in his shoulder and chest. He felt for a pulse and found a weak one,as if the action woke him Shisui's eyes opened,face twisted into a grimace of pain. Shisui tried talking and found that he couldn't,Itachi finally noticed that his best friend's throat had been slit in such a way as to prevent speech and a quick death.
Itachi finally showed an outward sign of emotion,tear silently dripped down the face of the twelve year old ninja.
Shisui still struggled to speak before sighing finally...
"Please don't..." Itachi sobbed
His eyes glazed over and his body went completely still.
That night something changed in Itachi and it may not have been exactly for the better...
In his strange dimension,the masked man used an aspect of his dojutsu he had discovered a few months ago. A portal in the dimension linked to a portal in the real world which was blanketed by a strong illusion and suddenly Madara could look into the scene currently happening. He take at the show of emotion from Itachi,he had decided not to kill Shisui because the boy,Itachi who he had offered aid in completing his S-rank mission if the Danzo and/or Hiruzen veted it needed a Mangekyou Sharingan. That was wrong,no...he,Madara wanted Itachi to gave one...after all he could already see that Itachi would be a vital piece in his little game.
A week later,
Things were coming to a head,Fugaku had fully mobilized his forces and was prepared to launch his coup any moment and as such he and Danzo had seen fit to stop it...at all costs.
Hiruzen gazed down at the young boy,and sighed...
"So much weight upon such a young one's shoulders. Something about him seems different but I can't place my finger on it." he thought.
"Jonin Itachi,I and the Hokage have reached an agreement after contemplating your information provided this past week" Danzo started,seeing as Hiruzen wasn't eager to.
During the tense moments that followed,Hiruzen wondered what was going through the young man's head.
A cold resignation at the mission he knew he would have to perform or a desperate hope that somehow he wouldn't have to?
"It doesn't matter" Hiruzen thought as he prepared to condemn a clan.
"You will massacre the Uchiha clan barring Sasuke who you have begged not to suffer the same completion will guarantee a full S-rank mission pay,mission failure will result in death but if escape is achieved you will be granted asylum by I"
"Yes...Hokage-sama" Itachi bowed,regret filling his voice as he steeled himself to destroy his clan.
That night,
Itachi dressed in his ANBU uniform and Weasel mask fell upon the Uchiha like a bat out of hell. He ripped through them with his tanto,using Tsukiyomi to kill those who proved too troublesome.
But even that paled before the masked man who was his uneasy comrade. The man who claimed to be Madara picked through the Uchiha with ease, sending shrunken flying out of portals on his body,his speed was beyond anything Itachi had ever seen barring Maito Gai of course. He didn't even get a single scratch, as all attacks - elemental or otherwise slipped through him and the Uchiha's weak (in comparison) genjutsu did not affect him.
He had asked Madara for the 'honor' of slaying his parents. After all they deserved to meet their end by their kin at least...
Uchiha Sasuke walked home,he had been out training - trying desperately to close the perceived gap between he and Naruto. He noticed something was wrong as he walked into the Uchiha compound. The glaring silence was hard to ignore after all. He ran through the streets,horror growing at the pile of bodies. Once he thought he saw a glimpse of orange but that was pushed to the back of his mind as he ran to his parent's house. Thoughts in a flurry,he opened the door to his parent's room to find them dead and his brother standing aside - a tear down his cheek.
"Itachi,what happened?Where's the-" Sasuke stopped as he realised who had done the unthinkable - the amount of blood staining his outfit was rather obvious.
"Foolish little brother,I killed them all"
"What?Why?" Sasuke said,anger slipping into his voice.
"To test my limits,obviously this was within my capabilities." Itachi coldly said in a monotone Sasuke had never heard,gesturing around proudly.
"No!No!No!"Sasuke said,trying to deny his eyes,what his brain confirmed,as his heart said otherwise.
Sasuke screamed,rushing forward,abandoning all traces of ninja training. Itachi sidestepped him,grabbing his shirt and slamming him into a wall. Mangekyou met black orbs...The scene of Itachi murdering his clan and finally his parents played out...
"71 hours,59 minutes and 59 seconds to go."
"Scream,little brother" Itachi said cruelly.
A second later,
An outside observer would see Sasuke crumple to the floor broken as Itachi walked out seconds later.
"You're weak,little brother. Remember that burning hate in you,grow it,harness it...and when you have eyes like mine...come"
Sasuke would always remember those words...
In the Sarutobi household,
The ANBU guards around the residence were proven useless as a vortex appeared in Hiruzen's bedroom. The man was not termed the 'God of Shinobi' for no reason,proven as he immediately woke up,grasping a kunai underneath his pillow and launching himself at the intruder. The masked man dodged,not using his 'abilities' yet,he allowed Hiruzen to overpower him. The Professor held his kunai to Madara's neck,and the fallen man capitalise on Hiruzen's one mistake.
"Game,Match,Set" he thought as Hiruzen fell victim of the Kotoamatsukami from his newly acquired eye.
Konoha's fate just took a turn for the worse...
A/N:
Got this out as a New Year's present. Took me the whole day too,so you damn well appreciate it;)
One more chapter,the epilogue and we can get started on the much longer second fic.
Oh yeah,Obito's abilities - I figured they needed some shaking up;so new abilities and new limits/weaknesses.
The next fic is one of the only fics (only fic?) to have a bad Hiruzen/good Danzo combination.
Happy New Year!
Read and review please...
-CrimsonKing123