CHAPTER 4
"Hey—you. Wake up."
He opened one eye, slowly, to stare up at strange, red eyes staring down at him.
The girl had a strange expression. She was dressed in a way that revealed she was from around that village- the way her clothing hugged her body, but looked old and used. She had her hair tied up in a bun- each dark brown lock managing to stay tightened and away from her body. While her hand was on her hip, and she leaned forward to continue looking at him, Sasuke felt like he knew her. From the way she had a cigarette in one hand, and the way her eyes were kind of, clairvoyant, he knew immediately she could be a descendant of Kurenai Yuuhi. But, who did Kurenai-sensei ever end up having a child with? It didn't seem to strike him as anything he understood. The girl noticed he was conscience, and took a step back, if only to look over his appearance once. "You're the boy that was left here," she announced, after managing to stare at him in silence for a few minutes. "Andou-hime said that you would be here. She thought that you were a trespasser, and they tend to abandon outsiders here when they think it's convenient to them." The way this girl spoke, made it clear that she had been to the 'outside world', where Sasuke knew he belonged now. A part of him, a part he had locked up, somehow stayed here. Revisiting his homeland, where he had caused so much misery, for thousands of people who had once trusted and admired him, had opened his eyes to the monster he had become.
He looked around, and found no sight of the other him- or of Naruto. All he could see was the desolated rock formation that looked like a skeletal figure, and the heads. The village down below looked as broken as it did before. He was still in the future, where he had been given a chance to redeem himself from his past. If he hadn't come back here, he would have repeated his past mistakes and listened to someone who knew absolutely nothing about what he wanted. He would have let Itachi sacrifice himself, yet again, for a cause that meant absolutely nothing to either of them. Sasuke was relieved that old women had managed to force him to go here. He looked down at the ground, and shifted his hand until he could press his palm against his forehead. It was too much to take in at once, but he had all of these feelings from before. His head told him he was Uchiha Sasuke, the son of Corporate business tycoon Uchiha Fugaku—but his heart knew he was Uchiha Sasuke, a traitor to his village. A killer of his best friend. He recognised so much now, from his past, and he immediately knew the first thing he had to do the moment he got home. He would need to tell his father that his marriage with Sakura, was off. They were not meant to be. She had evidently only seen him as a crush, and even if it was more than that, Sasuke felt nothing. He had to recover his broken familial bonds. Itachi meant more to him than a pink haired fangirl ever could.
"What did you see here?"
Looking back up at Kurenai's descendant, he only stared at her quietly, waiting for her to elaborate. She moved her hand, to point at the heads, a small smile slowly stretching over her features. "These, are my ancestors. You're sitting on holy land." For Sasuke, this was a graveyard. These people, had suffered, because of him. Although it was his past life, where he had commited those actions, he still felt partly at fault. "There's a story tied to why this village can't have life growing in it. A boy who lost his entire family, ran away from this village, to try and rescue himself, and to get revenge for his family's death." He knew the story, so he slowly shifted his head to look out at his old home. Now he could remember, the way Konohagakure was bustling with life. People were everywhere, in the past. Smiles, laughter. The noodle stall Naruto loved was where Team Seven often ended up, eating ramen, although it usually ended up on either Sasuke's or Kakashi's tab. They often went to the training fields, where they ended up training for hours. He knew the Uchiha compound was nearby, too. But he didn't want to go there, because it was where his brother had finally died. He knew that Otogakure had been burned down, Sunagakure following not long after. Many of the villages stood no chance against Sasuke, and Tobi. They had slaughtered thousands, and finally, when Sasuke had found Naruto, he had completed the one most unforgivable task of his entire life. Naruto stood no chance when he was exhausted from defeating an edo tensei Madara. In the end, Naruto had lost, and had relied too much on the Kyuubi. When Sasuke cruelly burned Kyuubi with the amaterasu, he had managed to defeat Konoha's one hope for a future. The souls of this village, wanted him to see that.
"And when he finally had enough power, the boy came back, and got his revenge. No one survived, except a few people, who hid and pretended to be dead. No one knows what happened to that boy, but the villagers continue to stay here, waiting for the day that he'll come back to reclaim his revenge, on those of us that survived," the black haired girl stopped, finally, and shifted her head to look down at the village. Sasuke, too, felt a little, uneased. Every time he looked out at Konoha, he saw the dusted remains of a place that once flourished with life. It was a huge village. Before, it was prosperous. Now, it was a ghost of its past. He didn't blame the villagers that had survived for hating him, and not wanting him to go anywhere near them. He had the shadow of a monster, after all. "He died," he answered, finally.
She blinked once. "What do you mean?"
"He died. The boy killed himself."
Sasuke finally moved to stand, using one hand to eventually prop himself up. Dusting off his clothes, he looked in the general direction she was looking in. "That's.. a morbid way to put it," she said, with a frown. Sasuke knew it was the ironic truth. He had seen himself commit suicide, because even he knew that he had no reason to exist, after killing everyone who had any connection to him. If the barrier this land had put to the outside world, hadn't been removed, Sasuke never would have rediscovered his past. He felt, strangely, in debt now. To the people here, who had died, and had attempted to make him see the truth until the very last minute of their lives- even beyond that. "I think the boy just needed the right hand to guide him. I wish he hadn't done this though. I mean, just look at that village. So many people, so many things- and now all we have left is a tiny village," Kurenai's ancestor joked around. She moved her hand to wipe a band away from her forehead, and Sasuke, remained silent. "There was a book, that old woman kept in her residency. What was it?" he finally asked.
"That's Haruno-hime's ancestor's notations. Up until his death, Andou-hime's ancestor kept notations about what happened. Andou-hime's ancestor survived maybe a year after their homes were burned down, and then he passed away. Andou-hime, you see, has the ability, to feel the movement of sand. She's very deep, knowledgeable. But she's getting old," was the answer he received, and he nodded once, in understanding. "Can you.. take me to a nearby road leading to the bridge? I need to go, home."
When the girl nodded, he pointed to a path leading down the heads of the village, towards the actual village. "I think there's a funny man, with his hair tied up, waiting for you in the village. He said his name is Iruka, and he's looking for a Sasuke."
(break)
Iruka waved to Sasuke when he saw him approach closer.
The two of them stopped a few feet away, and Iruka held up a set of keys with a grin. "I have it," he responded. Sasuke nodded once, and then glanced back to see many of the villagers had managed to come out. Some even looked in his direction—but the fear was there. Sasuke stayed quiet, because it was a justified fear. He felt he had deserved it. The old woman finally stepped towards them, with a small smile on her face. "I take it you learned," she said, in a hushed voice. Sasuke only stayed quiet, but from the way he looked back at her, it was evident, she knew why she had sent him there. That woman, he realised now, was Gaara's descendant. Somehow, even when he had tried killing everyone, some people survived. He had let life flourish, even in small numbers. Konohagakure itself had no future, but these people did, if given the chance. He was in debt to them for both teaching him the one lesson of a lifetime that he needed, and for forgiving him, for his past. "Good. Never, let that demon possess you again," the woman said, and finally, she turned back away. However, when she did, Sasuke bowed his head down. "Sabaku-sama. If.. I can repay you in any way," he began, wanting to do something that could make it seem better. To give this tiny village hope.
However, the old woman only continued walking. And Sasuke swore he saw her grinning. "No. Leave quickly. We have no more time, for the past."
Sasuke nodded, and turned away, forcing Iruka to follow with a confused stare. While they both walked quietly towards Iruka's car, he could tell Iruka wanted to know everything. But he couldn't just say it. This man had been someone to suffer in the past. But unlike him, where everything settled in when he saw his mistakes, Iruka would only suffer more. No one would believe him if he told them he had killed villages of ninjas in his past life. All this did was make him see the one thing he really should have seen from the start- Sakura was not meant for him. "Iruka. We're changing plans," he finally said. The driver perked up, as if he expected this anytime soon. "We're going to see Itachi, not Sakura. You can tell my parents I'm calling off this wedding when you get home, too. She's not in love with me."
More release. When Iruka walked ahead of him, to begin starting the car that magically, seemed to work then, Sasuke lowered his head and smiled to himself. I won't let you sacrifice yourself again, aniki-san. Just wait, for me.
(break)
Itachi opened one eye when he heard sounds. People were talking outside. It was well near 9 AM, and Itachi was a morning person. But sleeping on the table had been oddly comfortable, and he hadn't thought to wake up anytime soon. Closing his eyes again, he tried to drown out the sounds at the door, but to no avail. His maid must have come early, and she was already chattering with someone or another. It was irritating. Itachi didn't like having people near him. With a tired sigh, he lifted himself from the table and stood up, looking around his room with a dry frown. Who was here? He wasn't expecting any guests, unless he missed a business cohorts meeting. But why at his home?
He rubbed his eyes with his arm, and slowly made his way over to the door. Opening it with one hand, he glanced out to see the maid talking to a mob of black hair. Stylized black hair. The odd way it had been done, was familiar. Only one person he knew did that kind of hair style. That person was to be married to a girl he couldn't stand, in a few days. That person was always on Itachi's mind, and without fail, never left his thoughts. "Is he here?" he heard. His maid continued to talk, evidently trying to grab his attention, but the person ignored it, and glanced over her shoulder, to notice Itachi staring at him from the distance. It felt like ages since Itachi had laid eyes on his baby brother. Those deep black eyes, that same arrogant expression. He seemed like the same Sasuke from before. But for some reason, Itachi was shocked that Sasuke was here. Never in a million years did he expect his brother to show up at his home- covered in dirt and blood stains, and looking like he'd been through an ordeal that no one he would expect could put him through. Walking towards the door, but keeping a few feet away, he looked Sasuke over.
It looked like he'd been beaten up. But from the expression he had, he knew his brother had escaped alive or beaten right back. Sasuke was not a pushover in the slightest. Itachi shook his head, and indicated to his bedroom, where his first aid kit was stored for emergency situations. Walking back towards it, he let Sasuke follow him. Shutting the door once the two of them were inside, he looked back at his brother, who stared right back at him.
This had been waited on, for too long. It felt like their confrontation was too soon, but at once. Itachi felt it had to be done.
(break)
"I have to—"
"I have to—"
"Let me talk," Sasuke demanded. He was always going to have to go first. His brother, whether he liked it or not, was quieter. Itachi never seemed to be the verbal type, unless absolutely necessary. "I know, we haven't been, the best of siblings recently.. We don't speak anymore, and my arriving here looking like this, must shock you.. but please, listen to me. You can judge me afterwards. I don't care."
He was almost begging his brother to listen to him now. He felt like he had changed, matured so much- he just needed Itachi to acknowledge it. He wanted a chance to have a brother back. Maybe to spend the rest of his life thanking whatever had brought him back, for giving him one more chance to be happy with an older sibling like Itachi. "I broke off my marriage, to her. I don't even like her, and listening to someone else will never make me happy. All it does is ruin things, and make me even more unlikely to open up to someone else," he began, making Itachi's eyes widen, simply because he was surprised at how Sasuke had randomly broken a marriage he had been so intent on continuing with. "I was wrong for trying to marry her to spite you. But you distanced yourself from me, and I wanted your attention. I needed you to be there. I thought my anger would make you come back, but it didn't. It just made me more and more distant. I hurt everyone close to me, just so I could gain one thing- revenge, on you."
Was he walking about this life, or the past one? He couldn't tell. It all seemed so similar. He was so prone to the same mistakes, wanting revenge on his older sibling who only wanted to protect him. If something happened and he lost Itachi, he would have tried to get back at everyone. Hurting people was not what he wanted, now. Sasuke just wanted to try and have peace. "I don't want revenge. I just want to try and salvage what's left, between us. I don't care if it will get me disowned. Please don't ignore me anymore. You're my.. aniki." With that, he moved himself a step back, and lowered his gaze to the ground, waiting for his brother's final verdict. Itachi knew Sasuke wasn't a frail little boy, and yet. Sasuke felt frail. For the first time, ever, he had opened up to his brother. He had said things, he knew his past self might have wanted to say to this exact same person. He felt like he had completed something, that made him feel, better. Especially since, he knew that if Itachi didn't forgive him now, he would have to accept it. He had done what he could. Life goes on. He just wanted Itachi to know that this all, affected him, too.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, so he looked up, at Itachi, who looked down at him. The smile on his brother's face, was one he had not seen since they were mere children. But it was a warm, nice smile. He liked it. Itachi rarely smiled, but when he did, Sasuke knew the room brightened up. His brother was more reserved, but they were happy together. "If I told you.. I've been having these nightmares, since I was younger, would you believe me, Otouto?" he asked.
Sasuke didn't understand, but he nodded his head once in compliance anyway. "Of a world where I planned out my own death, so I could keep you safe." This was too familiar. Had Itachi, too, seen the same things Sasuke had? Sasuke knew Itachi had never been to Konohagakure, at least, not in its present state. So how on earth did his brother know about that. How on earth did his brother think of his past? Itachi was the more intellectual one, of the two of them, so perhaps it was no surprise. And yet, Sasuke wanted to believe his brother had no idea.
"A world where you gave up on your happiness for mine- but it was pointless.. right?" he added in, with hesitance. Itachi, too, nodded his head once to show he was right. Sasuke hated that this was happening now. It felt like he had become so old- so.. much more capable of understanding himself and others. "I could never hate you, Sasuke. But I didn't want you to marry that girl, without knowing you were marrying someone you may not love," Itachi continued, shifting his hand to Sasuke's cheek. They were finally where Sasuke felt better. Itachi didn't hate him. Every single piece was being fitted back together. "Itachi, can I stay here? I'll study here. I just want to, have a part of you back, too," Sasuke asked.
When the two of them smiled at each other, and moved away so he could get to his papers, Sasuke stood still, and looked around the room. Although he hadn't told Itachi, about the visit to Konohagakure, and the troubled people there. He knew his brother had understood something about what he had meant. Itachi knew Sasuke was finally going to stray away from revenge. His life was going to change from then on.
Sasuke had redeemed himself.