I wish I could do a disclaimer in a foreign language, but I can't.
Madara's history retelling will be (somewhat) briefly summarized in order to maintain space for other events and dialogue. If you want the whole speech, go read "Naruto", volume forty-three.
Chapter 13? 13? My Triskaidekaphobia* senses are tingling!
Chapter 13: Dark Influence
When he woke up, Sasuke found that he was tied up. He struggled against his bonds, but his still weakened state wouldn't let him do much. He lifted his head up slightly and saw Madara leaning against a nearby wall, his one Sharingan eye looking back at him. He said to Sasuke, "Sorry, but I took the liberty of tying you up, since it didn't seem like you would listen to my story meekly."
Sasuke lowered his head. He remembered Madara mentioning something about Itachi wanting to protect him and some hidden truth a short while ago just before he passed out. He muttered, "Itachi…he killed mother and father…slaughtered our whole clan… he…he-!"
"It was true that on that night," Madara said, "Itachi did kill the entire Uchiha clan and fled the village. What you don't know, was that the Leaf Village ordered him to do so. The entire massacre was actually a mission that was assigned to Itachi, and he had no choice but to follow it through."
Sasuke's eyes widened. The Leaf made Itachi kill their family? Not the same Leaf that he grew up in. Not the same Leaf where he trained hard every day so that he could one day kill his older brother. Not the same Leaf where he was a member of Team 7. To say that he was flabbergasted would be an understatement. He nearly stammered, "I-I don't understand! Why would Itachi even-?"
"In order to explain Itachi's story," Madara lowered his head, "I must go back to the beginning. It's a long tale, but every word of it is true."
Sasuke now eyed him suspiciously and asked, "And what makes you think I will believe what you say?"
"You'll just have to decide whether my tale is true or not after you hear all of it."
Sasuke sighed. He was tied up, so there was nothing he could really do. He muttered, "Fine. Talk."
So Madara began his story…
More than eighty years ago, the whole ninja world was in chaos. Clans fought each other for power and territory, and bloodshed was commonplace. Among those many clans, two were the most powerful and the most feared: the Uchiha and the Senju. Of the Uchiha, Madara was one of the most exceptional members. He was constantly in battle and, on more than one occasion, he fought his most hated Senju enemy: Harashima.
Madara eventually took his younger brother's eyes, but, in contrast to what Itachi said to Sasuke, he didn't steal the eyes, but his brother gave them to him. Sometime afterwards, the Senju ordered a cease-fire, and Uchiha agreed to it. They were both tired of endless conflict and, after signing a peace treaty, they joined forces and eventually formed the Leaf Village. All the other clans eventually formed their own respective nations and there was instantaneous peace.
However, out of everyone in the Uchiha clan, Madara was the only one who was against the peace and alliance with the Senju. When the time came for someone to be selected as the Hokage, Harashima was selected. Madara felt like his clan was being suppressed, so he went up against him. However, because they were sick of Madara trying to rekindle the flames of war, the entire Uchiha clan came to despise and scorn him. Madara left the Leaf, but came back later to start a war with it. After fighting one on one with Harashima, Madara was defeated and he bitterly skulked away in the shadows.
When the Second Hokage came into power, he gave the whole Uchiha clan the special position as the Leaf's police force. In truth, however, they were separated from the rest of the Leaf's governing body, and they came to realize that. Years later, during the time of the Fourth Hokage, the Kyubi came and attacked the village. Knowing that the Uchiha were the only ones capable of controlling the demon fox, the elders of the Leaf became suspicious of them.
The elders, Danzo and the Hokage's two advisors, had Anbu spies watch over the clan. Not long afterwards, they found out that their suspicions would prove correct: the Uchiha was planning a coup d'état against the Leaf. To keep a further eye on the clan, the elders sent one particular Anbu spy to watch over them: Itachi Uchiha.
"What?" Sasuke interrupted. "An Uchiha coup…and Itachi as a spy?"
"No one told you because you were so young," Madara said, "but it's the truth. Anyways…"
It didn't make Sasuke feel any better that his father was behind the coup. He had Itachi join the Anbu in the first place so that he could spy on the elders. The truth was, however, that Itachi was a double agent.
"But why would Itachi betray the clan?" Sasuke could not believe what he was hearing.
"When he was very young," Madara patiently explained, "he witnessed the horrors of the Third Great Ninja War. Since then, he was strongly against war and he wanted nothing but peace. The elders knew that about Itachi, and they used it to their advantage…"
Itachi was then given the mission that would change everything: the annihilation of the entire Uchiha clan. If the Uchiha were to pull off their coup successfully, then the Leaf would be weakened, and that would be an advantage for the other neighboring nations. Other nations would try to invade, and everything would escalate into another Great Ninja War, all because of this one action done by the Uchiha. Itachi didn't want to kill his family, yet he did not want to see another war. In the end, he made his painful choice.
Meanwhile, Madara was having his own plans of attacking the Leaf once more. Itachi sought him out and quickly found out his intentions. It was then that the two made a bargain: Madara would help Itachi kill the Uchiha clan if he spared the rest of the Leaf. Back at the Leaf, the Third Hokage was the only one who was against the massacre mission. He tried to compromise with the Uchiha, but it was too late: Itachi had already slaughtered the clan. All went according to plan, except for one thing: Itachi couldn't kill his little brother.
Itachi cared too much for Sasuke to kill him. He had later threatened Danzo and the other elders that if they were to do anything to Sasuke, then he would leak private intel to the other nations. On that horrific night, he told Sasuke what he could, but he couldn't reveal everything to him. Instead, he gave Sasuke a reason to take revenge against him. He pressured his little brother to get stronger so that in the end, he would get stronger ocular powers, preserve the good name of the Uchiha, and become a hero to the Leaf.
"However," Madara's voice became grave, "there was one thing Itachi did not anticipate."
Sasuke had a gut feeling on what it may be. He answered, "The Darkness."
"Yes," Madara gave a single nod, "the Darkness. Long ago, Itachi had also visited the hidden Uchiha meeting place underneath the Nanako Shrine. He read the epitaph with his Mangekyo Sharingan and found out a terrible secret that the Uchiha kept hidden. Sasuke, would you believe me if I said that, ever since their first ancestor, the Uchiha had wielded the Darkness?"
The surprises never seemed to end. Stuck in denial, Sasuke said, "You're lying. You have to be lying!"
No lies, Sasuke.
Sasuke stiffened. Was the Darkness telling the truth? How could this power have already existed in his clan?
"I won't go into the history of the Darkness today," Madara said, "but I will say that it was a shock for Itachi when he found out that you were the current wielder of the Darkness. He feared of what the Darkness may do to you, so he came up with a plan. In the earlier battle, Itachi wanted to pressure you so that not only could he cause Orochimaru to emerge, but also the Darkness. He had planned to seal both of them using the Susano'o, but he had only managed to seal away Orochimaru. In the presence of light, he couldn't seal the Darkness away without sealing you too, and Itachi certainly didn't want that."
"No…" Sasuke shook his head. "He tried to kill me! He tried to take my eyes!"
"That was all Itachi's setup to pressure you in battle."
"No! It's all a lie! It's-!"
"You're alive, aren't you?"
Sasuke blinked. Yes, he was alive. If Itachi really wanted to kill him, he would have done it a long time ago. Madara sighed and took out a kunai. He said, "You never saw through Itachi's illusions. He killed his family and his best friend for the sake of the Leaf, but he couldn't kill you." He walked over to Sasuke and cut the ropes that bound him. Madara asked, "Don't you know what this means? It means that your life…was more precious than the Leaf."
Sasuke slowly stood up, but other than that, he stayed where he was. Madara went on, "Itachi was ravaged by illness this whole time, and he prolonged his life with medication. He had to live long enough for you to kill him. Don't you see, Sasuke? He did all of this just for you, his precious little brother."
Sasuke lowered his head. Madara's explanation seemed to make sense, yet he didn't want to let go of his past hatred for his brother that easily. He didn't know what to think anymore. Madara saw this tormented confusion in Sasuke's eyes and he asked, "You want proof? Itachi had this on him when I found him. I'm sure this means something to you."
He fished something out of his pants pocket and handed it to Sasuke. He looked at it and he couldn't help but gasp.
In his hand was a torn photo scrap of Itachi years ago. Without really thinking, he took out the torn family photo from his own pocket and put the two pieces together. The two pieces fit perfectly together. So, after all this time, Itachi had the missing piece of the picture. Sasuke lowered the two pieces and pocketed them together. He slowly started to walk out, to which Madara asked, "Where are you going?"
"I need to be alone." Was all Sasuke said.
"Your possessions are by the exit."
This statement proved to be true as Sasuke came to the exit of the cave. Piled on the floor near the wall were his cloak, sword, and empty ninja tool pouch. He reequipped himself before making his way out.
"Sasuke!" A familiar voice called up from up ahead.
Coming towards his direction were the members of Team Hebi, escorted by Kisame and an Akatsuki with two Venus Flytrap-like leaves surrounding his head. Karin ran ahead of the group and wrapped her arms around Sasuke in a tight embrace. She talked excitedly, "I can't believe it! You did it! You killed Itachi! I knew you could do it!"
"Yeesh, Karin," Suigetsu sighed, "let him breathe for crying out loud."
But Karin wouldn't let go of him, nor would she stop talking. Suigetsu had to grab her and pull her off of Sasuke. Jugo looked at Sasuke and could already sense that something was wrong. He asked, "Is everything all right, Sasuke?"
"Of course he is!" Karin blurted out. "He finally fulfilled his goal!"
"You weren't worried about us though, were you?" Suigetsu asked.
"He should have been, with the way you had been acting while he was out!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You fought Kisame." Jugo pointed out.
"I would have beaten him if plant-face didn't stop us!"
Sasuke wasn't really listening at this point. He walked past the group and did not stop walking. Everyone stopped talking when they saw him walk away from them. Karin broke away from Suigetsu's grip and tried to run after him, but Jugo stopped her. He said to her, "I think he needs to be alone."
"Huh?" Karin stared at the direction Sasuke went off in. She lowered her head and admitted to herself, "I guess he is acting a little odd."
The group heard footsteps and they saw Madara walk past them. Without turning around, he stopped and said, "Kisame, Zetsu, stay here. The rest of you are welcome to follow me."
"Is this about Sasuke?" Karin walked ahead of Jugo and Suigetsu. "We can find him on our own you know."
"Then I guess we're just going in the same direction."
Out of nowhere, a small, black vortex completely sucked up Madara and they were both gone in seconds. The team let out various gasps and cries of surprise at this. Suigetsu muttered, "What the fuck was that?"
"Come on!" Karin snapped. "We need to get to Sasuke!"
No one had any arguments about that.
Sasuke stopped when he came to a seaside cliff. He sat at the edge and looked out over the roaring ocean waves. A deafening wind whipped his hair all over the place and the smell of saltwater wouldn't leave his nostrils. He was lost in his thoughts, still trying to process everything he had just heard earlier.
He thought back to all the good times he had spent with Itachi long before the night of the Uchiha massacre. He remembered his brother's old smile and his kind, gentle personality from long ago. In his reminiscing, he remembered something that he had long suppressed, something that had happened right after the massacre. Back then, he chased after Itachi in a blind rage. Just before he escaped, Itachi turned around to get one last look at Sasuke, and there were tears streaming down his eyes. Truly, those were the eyes of someone who had regrets on what he had done.
Sasuke took out the two pieces of the old photo again and fitted them together. He looked at his father, his mother, his younger self, and at Itachi. More memories flooded his mind and his hands began to tremble. The wind threatened to blow the pieces out of his hands, so he pocketed them again. He blinked and realized that tears dripped out of his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut and he felt a large amount of power surge in them.
Was this the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan that he was feeling in his eyes? Madara did say that Itachi transferred his ocular powers to Sasuke, but he felt like this was not the case. The only feeling that was stronger than the feeling of power was pain. It was the pain of knowing a long lost secret, and it was the pain of having lost Itachi, the one who was once again the closest person to Sasuke. It was illness that killed Itachi, not Sasuke, so why did he feel like he had just obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan? Maybe, just maybe, it only took the pain of having lost him to awaken it.
"Brother…" For the first time in a long time, Sasuke cried.
Itachi…why did he have to die? Why did his family have to die? It wasn't fair. It just wasn't!
It was their fault.
Sasuke lifted his head up. He asked, "Who are 'they'?"
The Leaf. They hated your family. The Uchiha were great, and they didn't like that. They made Itachi kill them.
Sasuke stood up. For once, the Darkness was right about something: it was all the Leaf Village's fault that his family was dead. All the while, the Darkness was feigning sympathy for its host.
Aw, poor, poor Sasuke. While you grieved, everyone in the Leaf just smiled and laughed. Can you see them, Sasuke? Can you see their faces?
He could, and he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in response. He could imagine all the smiling faces of the Leaf, laughing and carrying on with their lives like nothing bad would ever happen to them while Sasuke mourned for the loss of his family. No one knew how he felt, and they didn't want to know. They continued to live their happy lives, oblivious to all the death and pain that could happen to them at any moment, and that infuriated Sasuke.
Let them know your pain. Kill them all.
Yes, he would do just that, but…what would his team think? Well, if they were truly loyal to him, then they would help him. If they weren't, then he would just do it himself. Sensing that he was not alone, he turned around. Looking back at him was his team and, further back, Madara. He told them that he wanted to be alone, yet they still followed him. Well, it didn't matter now, they were here.
A sharp cry pierced Sasuke's ears and he looked up. Soaring above him was a lone hawk, searching for any possible prey. He thought back to the poetic monologue that he told to Orochimaru, the one about the snake and the hawk, and he felt like his team bore many similarities to it. They were once the snake, fierce, but earthbound. Now, they were more like the hawk, just as fierce, but not restrained by the ground.
Sasuke turned back to face the sea and he said to his team, "We have shed the skin of the snake. From this day forth, we are no longer the Hebi, but the Taka. As the Taka, we only have one goal…"
Power once more flowed into his eyes. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, but this time, he felt like he could take it a step further. He blinked and his normal Sharingan pattern was replaced by three overlapping ellipses in each eye*.
Say it, puppet, say it!
"We exist," Sasuke said coldly, "to destroy the Leaf!"
Sasuke wants to destroy the Leaf Village? Yes, that was a shock to me when I first read it too. Next time, what does Team Taka think about all this? Also, Sasuke learns a little more about the past history of the Darkness.
*Triskaidekaphobia= The fear of the number 13.
*Three overlapping ellipses is the best description I can come up with without saying "atomic stars".
I will be using the Darkness more later on, so if you have any ideas of possible powers that Sasuke could use (outside of those in "The Darkness" video game), list them in the reviews.