A/N: I can't believe I've finally reached this point in the story! GUYS, this is the FINAL chapter of BOOK 1! To me this is a huge deal. I've been working on this version of the story for so many years and sooo many things have happened since I started! But here we are, and I am treating you to a big chapter for it! To be honest I am quite nervous about this chapter. I am touching on some sensitive subjects and the chapter itself is... well sad is one word for it. But fear not, this is just the end of Book 1. The story will go on :D
WARNING: Take note that the current chapter contains violence, torture, character death and suicide. These are all serious themes, especially the last one. IF you have any dark thoughts or know someone who would do that, please do not hesitate to contact someone for help.
"The only thing I want is to have the power to protect those dear to me. All else... I guess I will figure it out as I go."
- Uzumaki Yahizui -
-Forget me not-
-Kaito-
News of the Uchiha Massacre spread like wildfire. Within a few hours, every jounin in the village knew that Uchiha Itachi had brutally massacred his clan. Kaito's first thought was to check on his student. He knew of Yahizui's ties to the Uchiha, and if the rumors surrounding the massacre were true, then she shouldn't be left alone. Yahizui was an impulsive person. Who knew what she would do?
He reached her house at sunrise, knuckles rapping at the door. Moments passed before a bleary-eyed Naruto answered.
"Nee-chan? I did as you said 'n went to the ol'man, did it go all right?" Naruto was rubbing his eyes, ready to fall back asleep.
"Naruto, where is Yahizui?"
Naruto's eyes widened comically. "Ah, Kaito-sensei, where's nee-chan?"
"That's what I'm asking you."
"Ehe, yeah, right. She went to the Uchiha's last night, said somethin' bad was going on there and told me to get ol'man Hokage. I... dunno where she is."
Fear stabbed through Kaito's heart. His whole muscles twitched to flash away, yet his chakra remained locked under the seal. Fuck!
"Stay here!" he yelled at Naruto, then ran as fast as his non-enhanced muscled could carry him.
He reached the compound in record time, the pressure in the air palpable even without his chakra to feel around. Tens of bodies were laid out on the floor in neat rows, covered by white cloths, while ANBU were roaming like ants, gathering evidence and adding corpses to the ground. Kaito counted at least fifty.
"Kaito-san," said a fox-masked ANBU. Kaito knew that drawl well.
"Kakashi, I'm looking for my student. Her last whereabouts were here."
Kakashi shifted on his feet. Kaito closed his eyes, a sharp pain overtaking his entire body. "Where is she?" he moved as if through molasses toward the sheet-covered body Kakashi showed.
It was small, the size of a child. She had been a child, just starting on her path toward becoming an adult; a brave, stupid child that never listened and cared too much. Kaito's fingers trembled. He cursed his lack of chakra. If he didn't have the seal, he could have sensed this mess a mile away, he could have come to her aid, could have stopped her... maybe he could have stopped the whole thing.
White-knuckled hands gripped the white sheet. He carefully lifted it, teeth sinking in the soft flesh of his cheek at the gray-skinned, red-haired girl lying under it. Her headband was missing and blood coated her torso. Puncture wound to the heart.
Kaito lowered the sheet, swallowed the coppery blood pooling in his mouth, and walked away. He'd never asked for a team, yet they gave him one and failing them once more cut him deep. He'd failed Kushina by not being there, failed his first team by putting them in too much danger, and now here he was, failing again because of his sheer incompetence.
Gray skin and limp red hair haunted his vision; the stale smell of clumping blood filled his nostrils. Kaito stopped and pressed the back of his hands into his eye sockets. He should have said no. When Ibiki and the Hokage told him to take another team, he should have told them to shove their worry up their asses and leave him alone. Now he had another innocent life on his conscience, another piece of his heart carved out.
Kaito stopped before the green front door of her house, eyes fixed on the peeling paint. His hands trembled. It had never been so hard to lift his hand and knock on a door. By the sun's position, it was already late morning. Had he spent so much time in the compound?
Naruto stepped down the stairs, a sleepy hand rubbing at his eyes. He wore a soft-looking T-shirt that was clearly a few sizes too big and a pair of blue sleeping shorts. He looked small, much too small, with a severe case of bed hair and a groan in his voice.
"Maah, Kaito-sensei, did you find nee-chan?"
Words failed him. At Naruto's smiling face, so similar to Kushina's... there was nothing he could say. And yet lying to the kid made Kaito's stomach turn. "Naruto... the Uchiha are all dead. Yahizui got caught in the middle of it and... I'm sorry."
Sleep melted from Naruto's face, making room for horror. Even with his chakra sealed, Kaito could see the red-hued power surging from him, coiling in the air. This was bad. He was about to bolt and call for help when the crimson chakra died out and Naruto crumpled to the floor with a heartbreaking wail. His small body quaked with sobs, hiccups coming in a staccato, followed by cries of pain.
Kaito's heart broke, the pain of losing another student stabbing through him anew.
"I'm so sorry kid, I failed her." He kneeled down on the floor and hesitantly reached over. Naruto catapulted toward him, burying his tear-stained face in Kaito's jacket. He was so small, so fragile and sad, trembling like a leaf in a too strong wind. Kaito wrapped an arm around him, allowing his own grief to surface. "I know. I know it hurts," he said, unsure whether it was for Naruto's sake or his own.
Minutes turned into hours as Kaito stood motionless on the floor, his arms circling Naruto's small frame. Naruto's cries had died out, gradually morphing into heartbreaking sighs, until exhaustion claimed him and his eyes closed in slumber. Kaito didn't dare move him. He meditated, trying to come to terms with his own grief, but found no easy way out of it. He had allowed himself to care too much about her, about them. Yahizui had reminded him of Kushina, a mellowed out version of his once explosive teammate. Had he projected his former affection for Kushina on her? Likely, but there was more. Yahizui had earned his respect. She was eager to learn and a quick study with a sharp mind and a knack for sealing formulas. Never had he shared his kinjutsu skill, something passed down from his grandfather, together with the samurai philosophy the old man had. She worked hard for it, and in her own blunt way, Yahizui had incorporated the bushido into her life.
The soft creak of the front door pulled Kaito out of his inner ruminations. Tojiro's lanky frame stepped through the door, followed by Hakudoshi's mop of white hair.
"We heard about the Uchiha. Is Hizui..." Tojiro paused, his droopy eyes fixed on Naruto's tear-stained face.
"What happened?" asked Hakudoshi. "Where is she?"
Kaito looked at both boys, measuring them. They were friends, they would hold on to one another, support one another through this tragedy. They will be fine. He had to believe that. So he would give them the truth.
"Uchiha Itachi killed his entire clan. He snapped under the pressure. Or maybe he was always crazy, we don't know. The ANBU assume Yahizui felt the chakras of the Uchiha disappear and headed to the compound. She interfered and Itachi... cut her down. They found her dead near the main house with a fatal wound to the chest."
"What, Itachi... killed her?" Tojiro shook his head. "That's not possible. Sensei, we all knew that Itachi—"
"Where is he?" cut Hakudoshi in. His golden eyes were glinting with bitter anger.
"His current whereabouts are unknown," said Kaito.
"So are we just going to leave it at that?"
Both boys had misty gazes, undoubtedly trying to keep their emotions in check and focus on something else, but anger was a cheap substitute. He knew that all too well. "What would you like to do? Flee Konoha and look for Uchiha Itachi? Even if you find him, you wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention that leaving the village unauthorized could get you suspended, or worse. I know you're hurting, but blind revenge will lead you nowhere."
Their tears refused to fall. Kaito understood both boys were far too proud to cry in front of their teacher, so he took Naruto in his arms, laid him in an upstairs room and silently left the house.
He had his own grief to deal with.
-Yahizui-
Hunger told her at least five hours have passed since her last meal. Yahizui wasn't sure where she was, whether she was still in Konoha or somewhere too far away for anyone to find her. The wound in her abdomen throbbed, and her heart ached with betrayal. That two-faced bastard, how... how could he? Her eyes pricked with tears.
Behind her a door opened, the screeching sound of metal jarring. Yahizui stilled. She tried to feel with her chakra and realized there was nothing to access. She pulled at her restraints, panic clouding her thoughts. From the side, a masked shinobi walked, stopping before her bed. He wore the standard ANBU mask and uniform. Yahizui relaxed. ANBU were from Konoha, that was good.
"Uzumaki Yahizui, we found you alive at the Uchiha Massacre scene. What did you see?" The man's voice was cold, impersonal. Yahizui didn't let that bother her.
"I saw Uchiha I-Itachi," she said, detesting how her voice wavered over his name. "I saw him kill his clan and when he spotted me, I engaged. He left me there for dead."
Silence rang inside the room following her statement. Seconds passed by and Yahizui began to sweat, the pressure burning her nerves.
"Liar."
What? No, she was telling the truth!
"No, I—"
The punch whipped her head to the side and made her ears ring. Fiery pain bloomed in its wake, mingling with her confusion. She was about to protest, but the ANBU agent left without a comment, shutting the door behind him with a definitive bang. What was going on? Something was not right. ANBU wouldn't just keep her tied up and beat her for no reason. She had to talk to him, tell him to call Kaito, and surely they could clear this out. She hung onto that thought as exhaustion overtook her and her eyes lowered shut.
Seconds seemed to have passed as the door opened once more, waking Yahizui from her slumber. The same masked ANBU walked in, this time with a tray of steaming food. Her mouth watered at the sight. She was starving and parched. He placed the tray on a table on the other side of the room and turned to her.
"Uzumaki Yahizui, we found you alive at the Uchiha Massacre scene. What did you see?"
What? She already answered that! With a sideway glance at the food, she repeated her answer.
"Uchiha Itachi killed his clan. He saw me and attacked. Please, you can call Murasaki Kaito, he's my sensei, he—"
The tray clattered to the ground, spreading steaming food everywhere.
"What are you doing?" she shouted, wincing at the pain in her abdomen. "I told you the truth, I know nothing else, why are you keeping me here?"
No answer came from the masked man. He turned and left just as before, leaving the blinding neon light on. Yahizui's stomach growled with hunger and her mouth was sticky with thirst. Cotton filled her head from lack of sleep, a headache pulsing behind her eyes. What did they want from her, why were they torturing her so? She closed her eyes, trying to block the blinding light and at the very least rest, though she was sure there won't be much of that.
-Hiruzen-
"Stop punishing yourself over this, Hiruzen. You made the right decision." Koharu poured herself and her two companions tea, her wrinkled hands still and graceful. "You acted as Hokage, adverting a catastrophe that would have shattered Konoha."
"And yet the spider hides among us, waiting to strike again," said Hiruzen. His eyes were sunken with lack of sleep, fingers stained from the tobacco he continuously smoked. "We cannot condone this."
"I agree. Danzo has shown a thirst for power that could topple the great village we have all worked to build." Homura sipped his tea with closed eyes. "However, we must not be hasty."
Koharu nodded, sipping from her own steaming cup. "He's a dangerous man and he won't step down quietly."
"Quiet or not, he will step down. We can't continue to let such a man run around free."
"Careful, Hiruzen," countered Homura. "Danzo's command over Root is absolute. Even if you disband them, they will not follow us. Like well-trained dogs, they have only one master, and dealing with such a monster might just work in Danzo's favor."
Smoke surrounded Hiruzen as he viciously dragged out of his pipe. Keeping him was out of the question, letting him go was suicide. How had he been so blind and weak to let it get so far? His trust in people and his willingness to see the good in everyone had blinded him. He should have chained Danzo long ago, when Orochimaru's gruesome experiments first came to light. Now it was too late, and he faced an impossible decision.
"Perhaps we can compromise," said Koharu. She placed her teacup on the table, her narrow eyes fixed on Hiruzen. "A show of force is necessary, yet leniency is advisable. A mix, so to say. We put a collar on the dog's master, and the dog will follow us."
Hiruzen's stopped mid-drag. "It seems to be the best option right now. We will have to make sure that he complies with the rules. An enforcement perhaps?"
"The late Mito-sama has left us with a useful array of seals which would make such enforcement possible," added Homura. "What use would one have to use their chakra when one remains within the confines of the village? Surely, none."
The idea appealed to him. A fitting punishment, yet nothing too drastic that would spark a revolt. "We should see to it right away."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," said both council members in unison.
-Sasuke-
White greeted Sasuke as he opened his eyes. White-washed walls, crisp-white sheets and a lingering scent of antiseptic that had buried itself in his sinuses. The room was empty, just as he. He closed his eyes and blinked lethargically. He was numb. Maybe they gave him something, but his head was in a haze, a pleasant emptiness that warned him from the horrors awaiting.
Slowly, as if walking through water, Sasuke stood and headed toward the small mirror by the sink. A tired, sad boy looked at him. His head was bandaged, his cheek swollen and purple. A twinge in his side told him he must have cracked a few ribs. The boy was a stranger.
Who was this shadow staring back at him? Who... who was he?
With mechanic moves, Sasuke got dressed and put on his shoes. He glanced outside and saw that it was already evening. Through the half-glass door, he could see a shinobi standing guard. Sasuke grabbed the window and swung it open, glancing at the sloped roof. If he was careful, he could make it to the other building and then climb down on the pipes. He had to try. He had to see it, confirm it in his head that this was not just a bad dream. Possessed by that burning need, Sasuke left the hospital room and crossed Konoha in a haze.
Sasuke passed Yahizui's house, noticing Rurika through the kitchen window, crying, but he didn't pause, pushing to reach his destination. He passed the lake, gaze lingering on the pontoon where he'd practiced his Katon. His father had been so proud of him that day. Sasuke's steps faltered, his vision blurring with tears, heart lurching in pain and longing at the memory. No. He had to go on.
As Sasuke reached the compound, his body trembled. It was empty, a cold wind howling through broken windows and opened doors. In the distance, the smoke of a still smoldering house cloyed up his nose. It would look as if people just moved out in a hurry if not for the blood which stained the ground, seeping into dirt and painting the road before him in broad, gruesome streaks. His steps faltered. Going forward would bring nothing but pain; he knew. But he needed this. Deep inside his battered soul Sasuke yearned for the horrors that awaited him, for the pain that would reaffirm the kindling hate he had for Itachi. Young as he was, he knew that the world of ninja was full of deception and lies, but his eyes were bound to tell him the truth. His eyes would see things as they were.
With movements that somehow seemed out of his control, he reached the place that he had called home. Memories assaulted him as he touched the front door: his mother welcoming him home, a smile gracing her beautiful features; the time he ran home so excited and tripped on the front porch... he still had a small scar at his hairline from that incident. His father, silent but supportive.
Sasuke moved throughout the house with unseeing eyes, the ghosts of the past following him, whispering in his ears. He saw the beautiful bonsai tree his father had been so fond of, his mother's apron hanging over a chair. She always used to have that in the kitchen, a flowery towel tucked in one pocket. His eyes burned, cheeks wet with tears. Why had Itachi hated him so, why had he not just killed him and let him be with them? What use was there for him here, alone in this world?
Why live?
Why suffer?
There was no place for him anymore. No purpose, no family... nothing.
Sasuke pushed the shoji door open, expecting to see them there. There was nothing but red stains on the floor. All that remained of his parents were red stains... everything else was gone.
He couldn't go on without them...
Coward.
The voice petrified him. The voice that once held everything he ever loved, everything he ever wanted to become, felt like a punch to the gut, like a deadly choke that strangled the sanity out of him.
Live, little brother... live in your cowardice, live in fear and hatred. And when you have eyes as mine, come and get your vengeance.
He sunk down, knees rattling with the impact, a scream that sounded more like wounded animal than child tearing from his throat. He screamed until his voice gave out, tears streaming down his face, his little body shaking with the force of his sobs.
He would give anything, the entire world, his pitiful life, absolutely anything to have them back, to have them next to him. But they were gone. He took them, robbed them of their lives. Itachi will pay for it, even if it was the last thing he would do. The Uchiha clan was gone, but he was alive. He was Uchiha Sasuke, and that man was not worthy of the Uchiha name. It was he, Sasuke, who would keep the name alive, not that monster.
That night Sasuke fell asleep in his childhood home, surrounded by ghosts of the past and the horrors of the present.
-Yahizui-
The now familiar ANBU barged in, his arms heavy with an unfamiliar device.
"What is that?" she croaked. Yahzui didn't expect an answer, and the masked man didn't offer. She strained to look at what the device was, but stopped soon after. Her headache had reached new heights, throbbing each time she moved.
"Please, let me go. I know nothing else. He attacked me, left me there for dead. There's nothing else I can tell you!"
The rustle of equipment was Yahizui's only answer. Soon after, the ANBU appeared above her, his fingers sticking something cold to her temples.
"Name."
"You know my name, you've been calling me—" Her entire body shook, back arching at an unnatural anger from the current passing through her. Her headache became a fond memory in the wake of her current agony. Yet before she even managed a gasp, it was over and the agent's fat tone pierced her ears once more.
"Name."
"Uzumaki Yahizui," she quickly replied, her muscles still twitching.
"Age."
"Thirteen."
"Rank."
"Genin."
"What were you doing in the Uchiha compound?"
Her hands trembled. "I sensed their chakra signatures disappear and went to investigate."
"What did you see?"
"Dead Uchiha members, and Uchiha Itachi."
"What did he look like?"
Yahizui strained to remember, but her memories were foggy. "Covered in blood," she said, unable to convey another image.
"What did he say?"
His words floated inside her head, tinged with sorrow. Her vision blurred, tears pooling in her eyes. "That he had to do it."
"Wrong answer."
A button clicked, and white pain engulfed Yahizui's body, making her seize and shake. Blood streamed past her lips, staining her teeth red as she bit her tongue. Even after the current ceased and the pain inside her head diminished, Yahizui's muscles were unresponsive. Her jaw was locked shut, her muscles painfully cramped, and her vision blurred.
"Name," said the voice dispassionately.
Yahizui couldn't stop the tears from falling.
Not again, please not again!
"Name," repeated the ANBU, his tone rising.
"What are you doing here?"
Yahizui couldn't see the owner of the gravel-like voice, but she thanked every Kami out there that this person came. She couldn't take another round.
"This kunoichi is here by the Hokage's orders," replied the ANBU with the same flat voice he always used.
Yahizui tried to blink the tears out of her eyes to get a better look at the newcomer. He looked familiar, like she had seen him before and should remember him. He took another step forward.
"This kunoichi is under my protection, and I will not allow you, or the Hokage to treat her as you have. Remove yourself from this room!"
Recognition clicked. She knew this man; he was the old councilor that asked her what she had told the Hokage, the same man whom Riruka said she knew. His name escaped her. Was it... Saizo, Sanzo...no.
"Understood, Danzo-sama."
Danzo. As if looking at the world through fog, Yahizui saw the ANBU agent leave the room, and the old councilor walk toward her. Behind him came in a woman with chin-length hair. She was dressed in white and had little to no expression on her face.
"Chika is a medic, she will heal you," said Danzo.
Soothing chakra cut off any grunt she would have been able so say in reply as Chika healed her. The manacles around her wrists and angles clanked open, and new aches made themselves known. Yahizui closed her eyes, her body relaxing under the stream of cooling, soothing energy.
"The ANBU held you here illegally, under the direct order of the Hokage." Danzo's voice cut through the calm haze Yahizui had relaxed into.
She carefully worked her jaw muscles, unclenching them repeatedly to make sure she wouldn't bite her newly healed tongue. "Why?" she croaked, thirst scratching her throat like sandpaper.
"Your known proximity and supposed involvement with Uchiha Itachi makes you an accomplice to the massacre. The Hokage believes you have worked together with Uchiha Itachi and is branding you a traitor to Konoha."
The world stopped, time standing still as Danzo's words echoed inside her head. "But... I'm innocent."
"And I believe you. I will try everything in my power to spare you the fate which awaits you. Now rest. Chika will bring you food and water. You must remain here, rest."
Yahizui lowered her head, the headache returning. A traitor, they branded her a traitor? She had to talk to Kaito, he would help her for sure and if no one else, he would believe her. "Chika-san, please you must tell my sensei, Murasaki Kaito, that I am here. Please, he will clear all this."
Above her, Chika nodded, and Yahizui's heart filled with hope. She closed her eyes, relaxing under the last vestiges of Chika's healing chakra. Sleep came easily, the comfort of being without aches overpowering her hungry stomach.
"... Wake up."
She couldn't have gotten more than a few minutes of sleep. Her body screamed at her to ignore the voice and sleep, but the crushing grip on her shoulder pushed her eyes to open. Through the neon glare of the light bulb, Yahizui saw the familiar features of her teacher. He was here; he came for her!
"Sensei!" adrenaline pumped energy in her body and Yahizui leaned over to hug him.
Kaito moved aside.
"Kaito-sensei?" Why was he pulling away from her, and why did he look at her like that? "What's wrong?"
"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" he spat at her, features contorted with disgust.
"What are you talking about?" Kaito's words slapped her in the face, his harsh tone unfamiliar.
"You've been insubordinate before, but murder? Even a stupid chit like you should have realized the consequences this would have."
No, this was all wrong. Kaito was supposed to believe her, to help her, not further condemn her! Her breath came in pants, heart rate skyrocketing as panic took over her mind.
"You're a traitor and will be branded a missing nin. Run off to your psychotic lover, because no one in Konoha will ever side with you."
She couldn't breathe. This wasn't happening, couldn't... Kaito would never say that, he would never talk to her like that, he cared, he believed in her! But she got him suspended. It was because of her hotheadedness that they sealed his chakra and suspended him for an entire year.
No, they just met a few days ago, and he seemed fine, he was fine. Unless... he wasn't. What if he hated her for that, what if the entire team resented her for keeping them genin? They were all stuck because of her. Two people couldn't just compete in a chuunin exam, and genin teams needed time to build their teamwork. Who was going to take missions with the boys and adopt them into their own team? Plus, with Kaito being suspended, he wasn't allowed to leave the village, or be their teacher at all. She'd ruined it all, and now they hated her, no worse, they thought she was a murderer, a traitor to Konoha.
Blood roared in Yahizui's veins and her vision tunneled. A sharp pain to the back of her head made her sway, and as she fell onto the bed, Yahizui could only think: I'm so sorry.
"Wake up."
The words were familiar, but the voice differed. Who came now to spit at her and call her a traitor? Who was left?
"Wake up girl, I don't have all day."
She knew that voice. As she opened her eyes, Yahizui was surprised to see the inside of the Uzumaki temple. "How am I here?"
"You're not really here," said Ashina. "We are inside your mind space. Interesting that it takes this form."
"How are you here, and what do you want?"
"Unimportant, and I couldn't stand to see you fall so spectacularly for this drivel."
"I'm being belittled and hated by the entire village. I don't need you to add to the fray."
"Then you cannot see how they are brainwashing you to believe their lies. I will excuse your poor performance with chakra sensing because they are still blocking you. But the rest... even a monkey could see through this deception."
"Can you stop insulting me and get to the point?"
Ashina paused. "I will explain this slowly so you might understand," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "After your dramatic blackout, Root agents took you into their custody, where you have been ever since. This," he vaguely gestured toward her, "is all a ruse."
"If it's a lie, why isn't anyone looking for me?"
"Because to them you are dead."
"I'm sorry, what?" asked Yahizui with wide eyes.
"You are officially dead."
"What the...?! And how do you know that?"
Ashina straightened his haori. "I have kept a portion of the chakra seal on you as ensuring my survival. Not enough to be cumbersome to you, but enough for me to keep my form. And before you explode about it, be thankful that I have, otherwise you wouldn't have anyone to help you."
Yahizui lowered her head. This was not the time to be petty. "What are they doing to me?" she whispered in a broken voice.
"I believe this is a conditioning program. They are brainwashing you to think Root and Danzo are the only ones on your side."
"This is bad..." she bit her thumb, trying to focus. With the panic subsiding, she had to think of a plan. "Could you do more if I gave you more chakra?"
"Unlikely. Your current amount of chakra is blocked. I am functioning on what I could syphon until now. At most, I can project my consciousness outside of you."
Yahizui looked to the side. She couldn't remember if they had locked the door, but given the situation, it was safe to assume that they did. "That's good, it's useful. At least you could warn me when something is about to happen. How are they blocking my chakra?"
"The med nin placed a seal on the back of your neck when she healed you. Before that, they imbued the manacles with the same seal."
"I can't break that, and I don't think they are too willing to help me. What about sending a message out, could you do that?"
"Unfortunately, no. Sorry kid, there's only one way out."
Her head lowered in defeat. How had she got in this mess? Right... that bastard had left her for dead. Tears threatened to fill her eyes and a knot of part sadness, part anger formed in her throat. She took a deep breath. In, out. Calm down. She will have to play with their brainwashing program and then make a run for it as soon as they deemed her docile enough. It was the only way. Then she could get to Kaito and sort this out.
"All right. Get me out of this and I'll give you all the chakra you need."
Ashina only raised a thick white eyebrow at her offer. "I will keep watch."
-Sasuke-
The Konoha cemetery was small. Few shinobi died within village walls. For the majority who lost their lives, the memorial stone was their resting place. Sasuke took in the neat rows of Uchiha-crested headstones that now filled most of the cemetery. The Hokage's rough voice droned at his side, eulogizing each member of his clan. He did not move, did not react when each clan-head passed him, paying their respects, nor did he say anything when the Hokage urged him to leave. Sasuke just stood there, his eyes fixed on the names of his mother, father and uncle.
Sasuke wasn't sure how long he just stood there, but after a while even that seemed futile. Staring at the names of his parents would not bring them back, and wallowing would not kill Itachi. He was weak, that he knew. And if he continued to do nothing, he was going to remain weak. He would mourn them through his aching muscles, remember them every time his chakra would exhaust from too much training.
A spark of life, of determination, lit in Sasuke's eyes. He had a goal; he was going to avenge them.
He turned around and saw that despite the silence, he was not alone in the cemetery. On the other side of the cemetery, he saw Riruka, Yahizui's team and an openly bawling Naruto.
Why are they here?
Slowly, he moved toward the mourning party and passed the headstone, focusing on the name written there.
-Uzumaki Yahizui-
Beloved by all
The two of them had shared something, a friendship perhaps - but that hadn't stopped Itachi from killing Shisui, or their parents, or anyone else in the clan. Why would Yahizui be any different?
Why was he any different?
Itachi's greatest cruelty had been allowing Sasuke to live. Well, he would make sure that it was also Itachi's greatest mistake.
Hate, foolish little brother... hate me like the coward that you are and when you are strong enough, come before me.
Oh, how he despised that voice, whispering hateful words inside his head, urging him to live and take revenge. It did not give him peace, slithering inside his soul in his darkest moments. He itched to scratch at his temples, anything to make Itachi's voice go away.
"Sasuke."
He stopped, lowered his hands from his scalp and looked around. Naruto stood before him, alone. For how long had he been there?
Naruto looked like he'd been crying, his eyes red and puffy, snot still wetting his nose. He rarely understood the blond, but right now Sasuke sympathized with him.
"I'm... sorry 'bout your family," he said in a rough voice.
Sasuke nodded. "I'm sorry about yours." Naruto had told everyone that Yahizui was his newfound cousin and that he had a clan. He shouted that from the top of the academy every day for a week. Now it looked like he was also the last member of his clan.
"What are ya gonna do now?"
"About what?" He wasn't about to tell Naruto about his plan. This was personal.
"Well, ol'man Hokage will want to put you in an orphanage. It's how it's done for kids that have no adults lookin' for them."
"You're not in an orphanage."
"Well, I was at first, but it ain't so nice there, so I escaped. After the twentieth time or so, the Big Lady runnin the place gave up. But I ain't stupid, I paid attention to what they said."
"You make no sense, idiot. They won't send me in an orphanage."
"Nah, not if you can prove that you can take care of yourself. You got money, ne? If you show the ol' man that you can take care of yourself, then he'll leave you alone. Trust me, Sasuke, you don't wanna go to that place. All sorts of weird stuff happened there, and kids were going missing all the time. No one cares 'bout orphaned kids, and even with the Uchiha name, no one will care 'bout you."
To Sasuke there was a surprising depth and maturity about Naruto as he spoke. Gone was the class clown, melted away to reveal a hurt kid that knew more than he let on. Sasuke nodded, vowing to buy himself a place to live the next day. He stepped away, then stopped.
"I'm training tomorrow at Ground 4, at seven."
"In the evening?"
"No idiot, in the morning."
Naruto had given him precious information, something to allow him to keep the freedom he so dearly needed to reach his goal. In exchange for that, Sasuke will help the idiot with his atrocious aim. Only once.
-Riruka-
Keeping busy kept Riruka's head above the waters threatening to swallow her. She cleaned the house, rearranged her cabinets, sorted through her clothes, few as they were. She washed the windows, polished the floors and remade the beds-twice. Riruka scrubbed every room in the small house clean. Every room but hers. Riruka wanted to leave it as was. The mere idea that her fiery ward, the girl she came to think of as a daughter, was gone... she couldn't think about it.
A knock came at the door. Who could it be?
She moved with stiffened steps. All that activity kept her mind off things, but did no service to her joints.
The door opened before she could reach it, and as Riruka saw his face, she pushed her entire body into the wood to close it.
"Don't be childish," chided Danzo, easily pushing the door open and stepping in.
"What could you still possibly still want from me? She is dead, leave me be!"
Danzo walked through the kitchen, set a teapot on the stove and took out one cup. "I came to tell you the truth. Given our past, and that your brother was a dear friend of mine, I find it fitting. Your ward is not dead."
Riruka's breath stopped. "Where is she?"
"Oh, she is safe. With me."
No. No no no no nonononoo. "You bastard!" She flung herself at him to do something, anything.
Danzo lifted two fingers, hand curled in a seal, and Riruka stopped, her mouth open in shock, her eyes wide with fear. "Your resistance is pitiful."
"What have you done?" He was controlling her with the seal, she could tell, but how could he do that now when he hadn't managed to before?
"Your trip to the hospital gave me the perfect opportunity to upgrade the seal. Just a small insurance."
"You won't keep me quiet about this. No matter how, I will tell someone about it."
"Yes, I believe you will. That is why you have far outlived your usefulness."
She was going to die. It was as certain as day and night that these were her last minutes and that by the time the monster before her will step out of the house, she will no longer be a part of this world.
"Tell me," Riruka said, her countenance resigned, "before you decide to butcher an innocent woman; what in Kami's name do you want from her? She is just a child, what can she ever bring you?"
Danzo took the boiling water off the stove and poured it in his cup. He observed the leaves swirl and unravel for a moment, then turned to look at her. "The shinobi world is busy with bloodshed, power struggles and money, but they all have a terrible memory. They shrouded the very founding of this village in mystery and half-truths, and it is only a hundred years into the past. Anything dating further back than the Warring States Era is pure myth. Yet myths hold truth inside them." He stopped, set the cup down. "The Uzumaki are a central key to unlocking the power of the Gods. Their chakra is the keystone which ties together the Uchiha and Senju powers. A balance dating back to the Sage of Six Paths, the God of shinobi. I will unlock that power, and your ward will help me do it."
"You sick bastard. She will never help you! I know Yahizui, and she will never further your power-hungry plans."
Danzo smiled, the sight making Riruka visibly shiver.
"Probably not." He took a sip of the steaming tea, savoring its flavor. "But by the time she comes out of my conditioning program, she will do anything for me." The cup clinked softly on the counter. He picked up a sharp kitchen knife and turned to look at Riruka expectantly. "Unfortunately, this is goodbye."
Riruka stared at the knife's sharp edge. Sweat gathered at her temples, her breath coming in shaky pants. "No. If you want me dead, wield the blade yourself."
"Tempting, but you will have to do this yourself. A tragic ending." He pushed the knife in her trembling hand, his bandaged arm held stiff in a half hand sign. "You left the hospital with a fragile mind, and then your beloved ward got butchered along the Uchiha clan. A civilian such as yourself could not handle the pressure." His fingers twitched.
Riruka's arms shook, the gnashing of her teeth audible in the open space between them. She fought to gain control over her mind, but with each movement of Danzo's fingers, more of her free-will got stripped away. The modified seal gnawed at her mind, scratching with vicious claws at her synapses. Her fingers clutched the knife, turning the blade toward her wrist. Tears poured down her cheeks, and she wanted to beg, but no sound came from her lips.
Danzo flared his chakra and Riruka buried the knife in her flesh, splitting her forearm open from elbow to wrist. Pain bloomed in her mind, but the cruel monster before her didn't care. His hand moved again and with bloodied fingers Riruka switched the blade. Blood gushed from her opened veins with each movement and her vision tunneled. Before she could injure her other arm, Riruka fell to the ground, her dress soaking up the blood on the floor.
She was dying and the last thing she got to see was Danzo's impassive face as he looked down on her. Curse him. He took everything, everything that mattered.
I hope you die a million deaths and have everything you care for crumble before you.
Darkness swallowed her as an icy feeling crept up her body. Riruka imagined Yahizui, the little girl that had brought such joy into her life. The little girl whom she failed to protect.
May the Gods watch over you little one, because I can't do it anymore.
-Yahizui-
She woke up gasping for breath, the now familiar ANBU standing above her. Yahizui grit her teeth and went through the motions, answering his questions as she did before. She took his belittling words in stride and only cried in pain once during the beating. Healing would come, of that she was sure.
Minutes after she closed her eyes in pretend sleep, Chika walked in and healed her bruises, offering a cup of water and some miso soup. The woman was kind, but with her new awareness Yahizui could see that there was something missing in her eyes. A spark that should have been there. Any medic would be appalled at what she was going through, yet Chika took her wounds in stride and only spoke of how Danzo would look after her. Yahizui bit her tongue, swallowing her retorts.
The cycle repeated itself two times more. The lack of sleep was becoming Yahizui's biggest problem. She could feel herself unravel with each moment her mind did not rest. She tried to meditate, but even that paled compared to what her body and brain really needed. Walking nightmares played before her eyes. Red-eyed demons with snake-like tongues were snapping their maws at her, plunging their claws through her body and pulling out endless golden chains. They strangled her with their spindly fingers and pierced her limbs with their horns repeatedly, only to be replaced by the bone-white mask of the ANBU who droned on questions she had no answer to.
"Snap out of it!" barked Ashina in her head, pushing the visions away. "Focus your mind, reign in your thoughts."
"I can't." Even her thoughts were exhausted.
"There is news," said Ashina.
Yahizui perked up at that, dragging some last vestiges of energy to the surface. "You found a way to get me out?"
"No. I'm afraid your situation is about to worsen."
"How could this get any worse?"
"Something seems to have happened on the outside and Danzo is running out of time. He's about to accelerate your conditioning exponentially, and unless we do something about it, permanently."
Yahizui squinted at Ashina's mental image. She was too tired to understand anything. "What else can that bastard do?"
"He was preparing a seal, thus I can conclude that nothing good will come out of it."
The door opened, and Danzo walked inside. Yahizui looked at him with bloodshot eyes, Ashina's words vaguely floating above his head in colorful bubbles. Was she losing her mind?
"I fear we have to cut this short, my dear," said Danzo. At the snap of his fingers, two Root agents popped behind Yahizui and pinned her in place. "Time is of the essence," he continued.
He dipped a brush in ink and brought it to her forehead. Yahizui could feel his chakra seep into the ink, burying itself inside her own restrained energy. Her eyes rolled back, and she welcomed the dark, her consciousness frantically searching for Ashina.
She was back in the mental chamber she had created, carvings of swirling waters and masked soldiers decorating the walls. Ashina gazed at the detailed depiction of a shinigami, his white hair swinging in a nonexistent breeze.
"What is he doing?" she asked.
Ashina said nothing, his eyes closed in concentration. Passing seconds seemed like eons until he clicked his tongue in annoyance and sighed. "He is placing a memory seal on you."
Yahizui shivered. "What memory is he trying to seal away?"
"Judging by the complexity of the seal... everything."
"No!" The ground shook, walls rattling around the mental chamber surrounding them. "What's happening?"
"The seal is taking. It will gradually eat away at your memories, your personality, everything making you who you are."
"Then we have to stop it! I can't..." the knot in her throat kept words at bay. Tears poured freely down her cheeks as Yahizui drowned in desperation. "I can't lose who I am. I was supposed to escape this nightmare, not become that fucker's puppet!"
Ashina looked to the side. Cracks appeared in the intricate carvings on the walls. Her inner world was slowly coming apart. "You won't."
Chakra tendrils shot from his body, burying themselves in the floor beneath. "I will use what chakra I still have to alter the seal, weaken it. The effect will erode over time and after a while you will get your memories back."
The words barely registered. Yahizui pulled at her hair with shaking hands, her eyes wide with fear. "A while? No, nononono. I can't, I won't. This man tortured me, he took me away from everyone I love and locked me here to torture me. A while under his thumb is too long. Just..."
"Silence!"
Her eyes snapped open.
"You are the last of the main house, you are the only one that can access Uzushio, the only one that can bring our people home. Do not dare forget your duty, your pride as an Uzumaki. We do not cower in fear, we do not quit in the face of danger. We face it head on with a smile on our face and the Shinigami at our backs. Pick yourself up, girl, for you have a hard journey before you. And you will face it with the resilience our clan is known for."
Around them, the walls shook. Yahizui tightened her fists, squared her shoulders, and jutted her chin forward. "All right. And when this is over, you teach me everything you know. You owe me that."
Ashina lowered his head. "I'm afraid this is the last time we see each other, little one. I'm using all the chakra I have to counter the seal. This time I won't come back."
"What? No, no, then stop!" He couldn't leave, he couldn't leave her alone. "You still have to teach me so much. I know I've been a brat, but I will get better, I promise. I won't complain once and... and I will do everything you say!" Tears poured down her cheeks. "Grandfather, please... don't leave me. I just found you, it's not fair!"
Ashina's large hand patted her head, moving through the thick red tresses. "Life is seldom fair, little one. Keep your head up. You are strong, like you father before you, like me and like all our forefathers before us all the way to Aiditi-sama herself. This is my duty to you." His form, already more transparent than solid, disintegrated, the pressure on Yahizui's head lifting as the last vestiges of his chakra poured into the counter seal.
"I am glad I got to meet you, Yahizui, daughter of Saito," whispered Ashina as the last of his spiritual form disappeared.
Yahizui stared at the space where Ashina stood mere moments ago, her heart torn. He was gone... really gone. If she hadn't been such a hateful brat and kept the chakra seal, he would have survived. If she hadn't held onto her stupid grudge for so long, she could have spent more time with him. Her grandfather.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as the surrounding walls shook and cracked. Yahizui fell to the ground, shuddering sobs spilling past her lips. The walls crumbled and fell, a blocky script enveloping her world.
And then all was dark.
-O-
"You're awake."
She blinked, looking for the source of the words. A boy with dark-brown hair and hazel eyes looked at her. "Who are you, where are we?"
"I'm Dai," said the boy. He pulled her up in a sitting position and handed her a cup of water. "We're in the northern training camp. It's where all Root newbies are brought in for the initial training."
She looked around, the fog inside her head intensifying. Something was not right, something was... missing. Panic gripped her as she looked at the boy.
"And who am I?"
END of Book 1