Chapter 1
Itachi has not seen the face of the mountain like that for a very long time. Something was not right. He stared at the mountains, scanning the faces as if they were pieces of art. And yet, there was something so obviously wrong about it. For no matter how he looked at it, it seemed that only two faces stared back.
He understood that something was amiss, but did not panic. His stoic, aloof nature held up even against the most pressing, alien circumstances.
The man took stock. He had his clothes, his supplies, and his Sharingan seemed to function as normal. That was good. He would summon a crow to help him scout the area while he figured out how to progress from here. Channeling his chakra, he felt the familiar pulse and expelled it from his hands while pressing them to the ground.
Nothing happened.
Frowning, Itachi attempted to complete his summoning again, only to be met with the same result. It was very strange, and Itachi knew he completed the Jutsu correctly, so why did his familiar not heed his call?
He exhaled, a deep release of tension, and focused. He could tell he was back in Konoha, despite how different it looked. The resemblances, the hints of his childhood, most of the buildings looked similar to how he remembered them, yet were somehow also very different. And where the Inuzuka compound should have stood, instead was a thick forest. There was no indication that they were ever there. That was extremely concerning.
"What if they were never there to begin with?" That made sense. It was coming together. But could it really be? How was that possible?
"Think about it. The buildings seem different, but do appear vaguely similar to the ones you knew. The Hokage wall has two faces. Your summon probably failed because it doesn't exist yet. It has to be."
He laughed humorlessly. a loud, desperate ringing that sounded across Konoha. Of course! Just his goddamn luck! Why the hell would it not happen? His life so far has basically been a joke, after all. But even to his standards, this was too much.
Because if his instinct was correct, and he prided himself in it being very accurate, then Itachi Uchiha had just travelled back in time.