DISCLAIMER – Naruto and Naruto Shippuden belongs to Kishimoto alone. Anything resembling this fic is purely coincidence


Past

Thoughts

Jutsu


"When true friends meet in adverse hours, 'tis like a sunbeam through a shower. A water way an instant seen. The darkly closing clouds between." -Sir Walter Scott


It was a living hell. Sasuke couldn't believe what he was just witnessing. Here, in one of the busiest districts of the Uchiha Complex, the place was littered with corpses of his own clansmen. Their lifeless bodies were almost enough to make Sasuke sick to his stomach, after seeing how much blood around. For Sasuke, this must be what hell, itself, looks like.

What is this? Sasuke ran throughout the streets to look for any survivors. How could this all happen? How could the Uchiha Clan, the very clan he grew up believing to the be greatest, be slaughtered like this? There was just no way! What's going on!? Sasuke continued running, until he ended up towards where his uncle and his aunt worked. Sasuke gasped in horror as he saw an even more horrific image. His aunt and uncle lay lifeless on the ground, in a pool of their own blood, just like the other Uchiha Clan members.

Sasuke hesitantly approached their lifeless bodies, horrified at his relatives' corpses. "Uncle...Auntie..." Sasuke couldn't comprehend the image of his relatives' corpses. Sasuke just wanted to look away, but the fear in his heart wouldn't let him look away. "Mom...Dad..."

Sasuke realized that if the Uchiha Clan members have been killed, then that could also mean that his parents were in danger. Without hesitation, Sasuke rushed back to his house. At times like this, he wished Itachi were still around. Itachi would know what to do. Where is he at a time like this?


Sasuke arrived at his house. Like the others, the lights here were turned off as well. It was unusual. With Sasuke this late, his parents would've waited for their son to come home, and their lights would be left on. Sasuke hoped that his parents were just leaving their lights off, just to fool whoever the killer is around the Uchiha Complex.

Sasuke entered the house, although fear was still inside his heart. "Mom? Dad? Are you home?" There was no answer. Sasuke was now fearing the worst. What if something bad happened? Mom, Dad, please be safe... Sasuke didn't bother removing his sandals and walked in, dropping his book bag on the way.

Sasuke walked silently throughout the house, searching the garden, hoping his mother was just watering the plants at this late night. Then, Sasuke walked over to the family room, hoping that his father was just doing some meditation, waiting for his youngest son to come home, probably prepare himself to give Sasuke a stern lecture about staying out late. It didn't matter if Sasuke was going to get scolded for being late for curfew, just as long as his parents are safe. Sasuke searched the kitchen, his bedroom, and Itachi's bedroom. Unfortunately, his parents couldn't be found in any of them. Suddenly, Sasuke heard a sound. A sound of something dropping. Sasuke gasped upon hearing the sound. He knew where it came from.

Sasuke immediately ran to the last room he hadn't searched. The family room. Sasuke was about to reach for the door handles, but something inside him forced him otherwise. Something was telling Sasuke not to open it. But not only that, there was something about the living room... There's someone in there... Sasuke's mind was telling him to open the door and see, but his body, for some reason, refused to do so. Sasuke's body was visibly shaking in fear, and his breathing had some shuddering in it. Move... Sasuke's leg's, although resistant at first, began to move slowly towards the door. Move... Then, his arms moved for the door handles. Move! Finally, the hesistant and fearful Sasuke finally opened to door, to see what awaits him on the other side.


Meanwhile, Sakura was preparing to go to bed for the night. She and her classmates have a lot of work to do tomorrow morning. Apparently, their class was going to do some research on animal life and how they can interact with numerous shinobi. And during their class, the Inuzuka Clan are the guest, volunteering to lecture and provide support for the teachers at the Academy.

Before Sakura went to bed, she noticed something on her desk. Along with her books, she noticed a piece of paper among them. Sakura approached the sheet of paper and took a closer look at them. They were notes. And apparently, they belonged to Sasuke. He must have forgot them... I'd better deliver it to him...

Luckily for Sakura, her parents were asleep. If her parents had caught her sneaking out at night, she would be in a world's lot of trouble. However, this was just merely to help out her friend. Sakura changed her out of her pajamas and into her casual clothes. Folding the notes in her hands, she snuck out of the door, carefully opening and closing the door, trying to prevent the straining sound of the door hinges.

After successfully sneaking out of her house, she immediately began running towards the Uchiha Complex...unaware of what is transpiring there right now.


Sasuke entered the family room. The room was in complete darkness. However, the moonlight shone from the window nearby and provided illumination for the only thing that showed up in the room...and it shocked Sasuke beyond reality. Before him, illuminated by the moonlight, were the corpses of Fugaku and Mikoto, his own parents. Here they were, with blood coming from their mouths, with freshly made wounds on their lifeless bodies, and now lying in the pool of their own blood. Sasuke just wanted to throw up, not because of the sight of blood, but the sight of his own parents, dead before his feet.

"Mom! Dad!" Sasuke yelled, running into the room, only to be stopped by something else. He realized that he was not alone in the room. There was someone in there, hiding in the darkness.

The sound of footsteps were heard in the room, causing Sasuke walk back a little. Soon, the moonlight showed a figure, with the face blocked only by darkness. Could this person be the killer? Sasuke was afraid of this person, until he realized who it was. The figure was wearing an ANBU uniform that Sasuke recognized. Then figure showed his face under the moonlight. It was Itachi. Itachi must have returned to the village, most likely to investigate the mysterious deaths of the Uchiha Clan members. Sasuke was relieved a little to see who it was, but his relief was not quelled yet. Not after seeing so many of his clansmen dead.

"Brother! Brother, Mom and Dad are..." Sasuke was just at a loss for words, after seeing what has transpired. He just couldn't believe any of it, even if he saw it with his own eyes. "Why? Why... Who could've done this?" Sasuke was immediately silenced by a shuriken that flew across his shoulders, before impaling itself into the door behind him. Sasuke's body froze after the shuriken flew by. Then, after a moment, Sasuke immediately felt sharp pain on his left shoulder, followed by a cut on his shoulder, with his own blood oozing out. Sasuke gripped his shoulder in pain. Did Itachi just throw a shuriken at his own brother? "Brother, what are you..."

Itachi merely stared at him with cold eyes. In Sasuke's eyes, Itachi's eyes held no emotion. No, these weren't the same eyes of Itachi, that Sasuke remembered. No, these were more like the eyes of a vicious killer. Sasuke couldn't comprehend what had gotten into his brother. What made Itachi suddenly attack Sasuke, and without hesitation either?

"What has gotten into you, Brother?" Sasuke questioned.

"Foolish little brother..." Itachi stated, in a cold voice. Itachi closed his eyes in front of Sasuke. Sasuke was paralyzed with fear, not sure what Itachi was going to pull off next. Then, the elder Uchiha brother opened his eyes before Sasuke, and before Sasuke knew it, he felt his entire body freeze up. He couldn't move. Mangekyou Sharingan! Itachi's eyes took the form of a different Sharingan, the same Sharingan that Sasuke saw on that day.

Soon, the entire world changed.


Sasuke found himself in another world. The nighttime sky no longer had a dark blue color, but that of a blood red color. The nighttime clouds now bore dark clouds. Everything around him was now like a negative photograph image. Did Itachi take his brother to hell?

Sasuke looked around at his surroundings, and soon, he saw even more horrific images. His own clan members were falling before him, dead. Sasuke tried to run away from the image, but his legs refused to listen, forcing the young Uchiha to witness the death of his clan members. My legs...they won't move...

The image didn't stop. Sasuke gasped more and more as his saw more of the Uchiha Clan members fall before him. Then, he witnessed Itachi throw numerous shurikens into his own clan members. And each one of them, impaled themselves into the vital parts: the head, the neck, the heart.

Sasuke literally screamed bloody murder after seeing the shurikens kill more clan members and seeing their blood gush out from their bodies like a waterfall. "STOP!! BROTHER!! DON'T SHOW THIS TO ME ANYMORE!!" Sasuke screamed, holding his head, "Why...why have you done this, Brother?"

However, his screams fell on deaf ears. More images appeared before him now. This time, his clan members tried to fight back against the rogue Itachi. "No..." The clan members had their weapons drawn and jumped towards Itachi, ready to make their killing blow. "No..." Then, without even breaking a sweat, Itachi easily swept them all away, using only his katana. Seeing this image caused Sasuke to scream even more. Next to Sasuke, he saw his uncle and his aunt. His uncle tried to protect his wife from Itachi, holding his arms out, trying to block Itachi from her. "Uncle...Auntie..." Before Sasuke could help them, Itachi easily cut them down with his katana, despite his uncle blocking the way. Seeing them die in front of them caused Sasuke to scream even more.

The next image would be the worst. Sasuke found himself in the living once again. This time, he saw his parents kneeling down, with their shoulders sagged and their heads bowed down, as if they were ready to be executed. And that executor was standing right behind them, with his katana ready over head. That executor was Itachi. "Mom! Dad!" Sasuke yelled to his parents, only to realize they couldn't hear him, "Don't do it, Brother!! Please, don't kill them!"

Sasuke was completely helpless. There was nothing Sasuke could do. And he was forced to watch, as Itachi's katana was forced downwards forcing large amounts blood out from their backs, instantly taking the lives of both Fugaku and Mikoto.


That last image, was enough for Sasuke to scream, loud enough to be heard from the outside. Sasuke held his head in pain, before kneeling to the ground. As Sasuke knelt to the ground, Itachi's Sharingan vanished from his eyes. Sasuke then fell to the ground. Shuddered breathing could be heard from the young Uchiha. Sasuke, while lying on the ground, exhausted, looked up to see his parent's corpses, and Itachi standing over them. He now realized it. Itachi was the killer. He was the one who slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan. He was the one who killed his clan members, his friends, his relatives, and now his parents.

"Why...why did you...kill them?" asked the weak Sasuke.

"To see my potential," Itachi simply replied, after a moment of silence.

"To...see your potential?" asked the bewildered Sasuke, "That's it?" Itachi didn't answer this time. "You killed them all, just for that?" Sasuke asked, clenching his teeth, with anger rising inside him.

Itachi closed his eyes. "It was necessary," he stated.

"Necessary?" Sasuke slowly rose up from the ground. Then, in blind rage, Sasuke immediately charged towards Itachi, screaming rage. Sasuke was going to kill him. Hearing his reasons was the last straw. Now, Sasuke was going to send him to hell. "YOU'RE INSANE!!"

When Sasuke was close enough, he was simply stopped with a powerful punch to the stomach, knocking the wind out of Sasuke. The young Uchiha collapsed to the ground, after the punch. Then, when he looked up, he witnessed his parents' lifeless bodies again. Seeing their deaths and now their lifeless corpses was enough to make Sasuke's tears leak out from his eyes. His entire family was now gone, and right in front of him. Itachi's foot showed up in Sasuke's eyes. I'm scared... Sasuke rose up from the ground and saw his elder brother staring down on him. I'm scared! Sasuke immediately ran out of the living room, screaming fear.


Fear took control of Sasuke as he ran out of the house and through the streets of the Uchiha Complex, while avoiding the corpses of his own clansmen.

"Please, don't kill me!!" Sasuke cried out. Sasuke stopped his running, when he saw Itachi blocking the way. Itachi continued to stare at him with that same merciless look on his face. Itachi was not Itachi any more. Itachi was now a devil. "This can't be! You can't be my brother! You just can't!"

"I only played the role of 'big brother' that you desired, in order to see your potential," said Itachi. Sasuke didn't understand what Itachi was saying. "It is you, Sasuke, who has the ability to test my potential. You hated and resented me because of my power. And everyday, you strived to surpass me. That's why I shall let you live, for my sake. Like me, you are also capable of awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan. But to do that..." Sasuke remained quiet during Itachi's proclamation. "You must sacrifice...your closest friend." Sasuke eyes widened upon hearing that requirement. Did he have to kill Sakura, just to obtain a powerful Sharingan? "Just as I have."

Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. Itachi sacrificed his closest friend for the Mangekyou Sharingan? However, that's when the young Uchiha remembered.


"The other person who never showed up at the meeting last night was Uchiha Shisui," Uchiha #2 informed Itachi, "Didn't you look up to that man, as if he were your older brother?"


"No, that can't be..." Sasuke couldn't believe it. "You were the one who killed Shisui-san."

"That's right," replied Itachi, "And because of that day, I obtained these eyes." Sasuke gasped at this revelation. That was why Itachi's eyes had become different. That's why Shisui never showed up at the meeting. "You will find the clan's secret meeting place at the Nakano Temple, under the seventh tatami mat on the far right side. In there, you will find the history of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, and its ultimate purpose. You will find the real secrets there."

The...real secrets...?

"When you activate it, the total of people who have the Mangekyou Sharingan will be three," said Itachi, "When that happens, that is more than enough reason for you to live. But...until then." Sasuke gasped when Itachi stepped back, thinking Itachi was going to make his killing blow. However... "You are not worth killing," Itachi declared, closing his eyes, "Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me, hate me, detest me. Live a miserable life. Run...run and cling helplessly onto your life. Then, when the time comes, when you have the same eyes as I do, seek me out." Itachi then opened his eyes showing his Mangekyou Sharingan to his young brother, once more.

The events that transpired here have taken a toll on Sasuke. Physically and mentally exhausted, Sasuke's eyes began to get blurry. Before he knew, everything went black.


It was a long walk from home, but Sakura didn't mind. She still remembered the way to Sasuke's house. There were still some stores open, even at this hour, and it provided Sakura some light as she walked towards the Uchiha Complex.

I hope Sasuke-kun is still awake. And I hope he's not cranky when I wake him up. Eventually, during her walk, she managed to get to a certain part of Konoha, where only the moon provided her source of illumination.


Sakura eventually arrived at the Uchiha Complex. All was quiet in this part of Konoha. They all must be asleep. I should be careful not to wake anyone up. Sakura recalled that this was the first time she's ever been in the Uchiha Complex when everyone was asleep. Sakura continued to walk off towards Sasuke's house.

However, when Sakura turned to a corner, she gasped in fright and covered her mouth in shock. She found numerous corpses of the Uchiha Clan littered around the streets. "What...what happened here?" asked the frightened Sakura, "Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura made haste throughout the Uchiha streets, searching desperately for her best friend. Sasuke-kun, please be safe! Sakura ran to almost every inch of the streets, only to run into more and more of the corpses and more of the ruined buildings.

After running around every corner of the complex, she began running towards her best friend's house, hoping that she had taken shelter there. On the way, she found what appears to be a kid lying down on the floor. The kid was covered in sweat, and there was a cut on his left shoulder. Sakura was hesitant to see who the person is, fearing it was Sasuke's dead body. And much to the pink-haired girl's surprise, it was miraculously Sasuke, unconscious, but alive. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura tried to shake her best friend awake, "Sasuke-kun, please wake up!" Sakura looked around to see more of the carnage around her. "Who could've done this?" The carnage was too much. Tears of panic filled her eyes as she held the broken Sasuke in her arms, as if she were trying to shelter him from the cold. "HELP!! ANYBODY!! HELP ME, PLEASE!! HELP!! HELP!!" Sakura cried out desperately to anyone, before crying into Sasuke's head.

As if on cue, two ninjas, one masked and one scruffy-looking, appeared before the unconscious Sasuke and the crying Sakura. The two ninjas approached Sasuke and Sakura.

"Please, help us. I-I-I don't know what happened. I came in here to give Sasuke-kun something, and then...then...everyone here was...I didn't know what to do... Please...," cried Sakura, showing how much these images affected her.

"Don't worry, we're here to help," the masked ninja calmed Sakura down, "Asuma, how is he?"

Asuma, the scruffy-looking one, was checking on Sasuke's pulse and if he was breathing. "He's all right," replied Asuma, "He's just unconscious. What could've happened here, Kakashi?"

"I don't know. Asuma, take these two to the hospital and call for help," ordered Kakashi, "I'll look for survivors."

"Understood," nodded Asuma. Asuma then took the unconscious Sasuke from Sakura's hands and carryed the young Uchiha in his arms. "Come on, little girl, you'll be safer with me." Sakura nodded in response and began walking off with the older ninja on the way out to the Uchiha Complex, while Kakashi went out to search for any survivors. As the two walked off, Asuma noticed Sakura still wiping her tears from her face. Apparently, this whole turn of event seemed to have put quite an impact on her. Who could have done such a thing? To put such a horrible image...even at their age...


Sakura waited anxiously for any results about Sasuke's condition. Asuma took it upon himself to keep the girl company, while she waited for her best friend after Asuma called for other ninjas to assist Kakashi. Asuma came back with two cans of juice in hand.

"Here you go," Asuma offered a can of juice to Sakura.

"Thank you," said Sakura, although in a weak tone.

As Sakura took a sip of her drink, she still showed anxiety for her friend. She was extremely worried about his safety, which Asuma understood to be perfectly natural. Asuma placed a hand on Sakura's head in an assuringly way. "Don't worry, you're friend will be all right." Sakura could only nod in response, although reluctantly. To think that the Great Uchiha Clan would be wiped out in one night. I never thought in a million years... After a while, a female medical-nin came towards Asuma and Sakura. "How is he doing?" asked Asuma.

"He's going to be okay," replied the medical-nin, "He just suffered from intense psychological trauma and he's physically exhausted. He's going to have to stay here for a while."

"That's good news," Sakura sighed quietly in relief, "Can I go see him?"

"Of course, but he's sleeping right now. And you'll have to leave in a few minutes. I'm sorry," the medical-nin informed.

"I understand," sighed a disappointed Sakura. She wanted to at least keep him company, at least until Sasuke woke up.

"Miss, I think the little girl should be with her friend," Asuma insisted, surprising Sakura.

"Sir?" the medical-nin was just as surprised as Sakura.

"I know it's against the rules, but she's been worrying for her friend while you were all helping him," explained Asuma, "I think she should stay by his side, at least until he wakes up, wouldn't you agree?"

"Personally, I wouldn't mind because she's his best friend. But with all due respect, Asuma-san, it's against regulations," reasoned the medical-nin.

"Don't worry," assured Asuma, "If you get in trouble, just tell them I insisted. I'll take full responsibility for it."

The female medical-nin took a good look at Sakura and saw how worrisome she was getting for Sasuke. "All right, I'll allow her to stay," sighed the medical-nin. The medical-nin placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder and led her down a hallway, towards Sasuke's room.


The female medical-nin led Sakura to Sasuke's room. Inside the room, Sakura found her best friend lying in bed, sleeping. Sakura approached her best friend's right side and held his hand firmly. It was saddening for her to see her friend like this.

"I'll check in every now and then," the medical-nin informed Sakura, "Is there anything you need?"

"No...thank you," replied Sakura.

"Please call if you need anything," said the medical-nin, before shutting the door for the two children.

Sakura pulled up a chair and sat by her best friend's side, still holding his hand. The pink-haired girl raised her hand up to Sasuke's face and removed his bangs from his face. Who could've done this to you, Sasuke-kun?

Sakura felt powerless. She wanted to do something for Sasuke, anything to help him feel better. Whether it was to talk to him, play jokes on him, spar with him, go over homework with him, anything. She knew that Sasuke is going to have sad days ahead of him, after losing his entire clansmen. Sakura's eyes began to feel heavy, and she tried to resist it to no avail. Sasuke-kun...I'll be here...

I...won't...leave your...side...


To be continued...