Ryuji

I walk out of the clearing into the dense, green forest. While the sounds of the birds chirping and rodents rummaging through trees and bushes would normally be prominent, they all seem so distant to me at this moment. My legs are heavy, as if they were filled with lead. Each step is agonizing, lifting my foot having become a herculean task.

Is this because of how much chakra I've expended… or…?

My breathing has become labored ever since the last few moments of the battle, but it seems to have become more labored still as I hobble from the epicenter of my most shameful act.

Did I really…?

I place the palm of my hand against a tree to rest for a moment. This is the most energy I've ever expended in a battle. To think that the sister whom I always got the better of would push me so far.

So far as to force me to kill her.

I collapse to my knees and vomit. The true weight of my actions crash down on me like the ocean's waves on the sandy shores of the beach. My stomach feels like someone is churning butter inside of it. My entire body aches and my head throbs. My breathing becomes more shallow with each breath I take.

Did I really kill Nyoko?

I've never felt anguish in my heart such as this. I start panting rapidly.

Did I have to go so far?

I try to get back to my feet, but the injury I sustained to my left leg prevents me from doing so. I fall face-first into the dirt. My breathing becomes faster and shallower by each passing second. My head starts to get fuzzy and my vision darkens.

I killed my sister.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain in both of my eyes. It feels as if someone placed a knife into fire and then drove it into my eyeballs.

What is this? I didn't sustain any injuries to my eyes.

I writhe on the ground, each and every cell in my body in absolute agony. My vision continues to darken until I finally pass out.

When I awaken I am still in great pain, except for the pain in my eyes, which has strangely subsided. I slowly open my eyes and find myself no longer in the forest, but in a dimly lit room. No, not just a room. I'm in my own room.

This is Madara's hideout. How did I get here?

I struggle to sit up and get out of my bed. I look around the dingy room. Someone found me and brought me back. Could it have been Madara? What will he say about my mission's failure? What will he say about…?

I hobble towards the door and exit into the main hallway. Madara is waiting for me, leaning against the wall across from me.

"Well, well. You've finally woken up. Splendid," he says.

"How did I get here?" I ask.

"After a couple of days had passed and you hadn't yet returned, I knew that something must have gone awry. I saw to it that you were found, and promptly returned to my custody."

I look down, shamefully. I don't respond to him. I wouldn't know what to say, even if I wanted to speak.

"I can't help but notice we are short on a couple of parties. Tell me, Ryuji: where is Akihiro's corpse, and where is your sister?"

My heart sinks down into my core. I fight to keep tears from flowing out of my eyes.

"Nyoko… betrayed us… she stopped me from killing Akihiro, and allowed him to escape… I… I tried to get her to see the errors of her ways, but… she wouldn't listen. She was determined… determined to fight me… I tried to subdue her so I could bring her back with me… but…"

"But you failed. Is that it?"

A pit forms in my stomach. "Yes… I couldn't get her to see my… our perspective. I was forced… to…"

"To slay your own sister."

His words echo throughout the hall, and I feel their power deep in my soul. My efforts are now for naught as I sob uncontrollably in front of Madara. He stays silent for now, which worries me. He thinks I'm weak.

Finally, Madara speaks: "Do not worry, Ryuji. You did the right thing. Insubordination cannot be tolerated when handling such important matters such as these. It was only a matter of time before she betrayed us. I could see it in her eyes. Her heart did not lie with our ideals."

While he sounded like he was attempting to reassure me, my heart still ached. None of my anguish subsided as a result of his words. My sobbing continues. I feel helpless, standing in a puddle of my own tears in a dim, grey hall.

"I have just one question for you, Ryuji." I look up at him. He places his hand on the top of my head, and I feel a wave of energy resonate throughout my skull. Just as I felt before in the forest, a sharp pain finds its way to my eyes. This time, however, there is also a feeling of immense pressure in them, as if they may burst at any moment. He takes his hand off of my head as I clutch my eyes. "Ah," Madara says, "just as I had hoped."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, filled with confusion. The pain and the pressure end just as quickly as they had begun.

"As you know, the Sharingan is awakened by intense emotional distress. Well, an event of even greater emotional distress can evolve it even further. You see, Ryuji, killing your sister, it is exactly what you needed to do in order to awaken your Mangekyou Sharingan."

The Mangekyou Sharingan? I've awakened it?

"Yes, I remember," I say, "Itachi said it can only be awakened by the loss of a loved one."

"Well, he is technically right, but it often takes a bit more than that. Losing a loved one is not usually distressful enough. What truly is powerful enough to awaken it is killing the loved one yourself."

I feel a chill run down my spine and my blood goes cold.

"Ah, you didn't even know that, did you? Itachi is full of little tricks like that. Not that it matters anyway. Regardless, you've done it. Your power shall only grow from here on out."

I remain silent. This is too much for my mind to handle. Tears are still finding their way out of my eyes and down my face, dampening the bandage that someone placed over the cut on my cheek.

"Take today to rest, Ryuji. We shall begin unlocking the secrets to your Mangekyou tomorrow." His tone grows more excited with each word he speaks. "I can't wait to see what your eyes have to offer."