Un-beted
Things as they are
Chapter 19
"You're a monster!"
Sasuke ignored the younger version of himself. He didn't care about the boy's perception of him. He got the job done. Well he almost hadn't but that wasn't the point.
"You didn't have to kill them."
"Killing them took less chakra so yes I did." Sasuke sneered. He was seated on the floor, leaning against one of the walls, doing his best to ignore the younger Sasuke. The boy seemed particularly upset about recent developments. "Besides complaining about it isn't going to take it all back. So just leave me alone already."
"No! I'm not going anywhere. If you're really supposed to be me, then how could you? You didn't even hesitate."
Sasuke grit his teeth in anger, shooting to his feet and grabbing the boy's shirt. He lifted the kid till he was eye level and glared at him. "You and I are not the same, you got that. Proven time and time again in the last few months. I didn't ask to be here but I'm here and I'm in charge so I'm doing things my way."
The younger Sasuke glared back at him, almost reminding the older of himself but there was too much openness to the glare, too much Naruto. "We'll see about that." The younger threatened lowly.
Sasuke dropped the kid and began walking away. He didn't have to deal with the kid and he hardly thought the boy had enough will power to overtake his own mind. In short he didn't take the threat seriously.
"You're changing the way Minato-oyaji sees me!" The younger suddenly yelled. There was a crack to his tone and Sasuke estimated another couple seconds before the kid was crying. But the words had an effect. A strong one. He fisted his hands and looked down. Of all the things he'd done, he didn't care about how people saw him. But what if, what if after all the things he'd done, Minato-oyaji, and Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura and Naruto, what if they didn't accept him anymore?
His shoulders sagged a little. He'd always believed that Konoha would wait for him, that Naruto would keep trying to get him to go back to Team 7. Yet, not once had he considered how they still felt about him.
Suddenly all the things that he'd done while with Orochimaru, all the prisoners he'd helped victimise, all the times he could have saved those same victims, it all came crashing down. Any one of those prisoners could be the reason Sakura no longer looked at him with hope and happiness, but rather turned away in disgust. What if Naruto didn't hold out his hand to the Uchiha anymore, offering a friendship like no other without judgement, without condemning him.
No. . . . .
Not now.
Sasuke blinked and the world around him blurred. He touched his cheek. Tears. Why? Was this world affecting him that much? Being with Itachi, spending time with Shisui and Obito, was it all starting to crack his carefully built walls?
Could he really say he was the Avenger who'd joined Orochimaru so willingly?
He doubted it.
"I never should have done that jutsu!" The younger Sasuke screamed at him. The older spun around to face the boy, intending to find out what he meant but the younger Uchiha glared at him and yelled "Just get out of my head already!"
.0.0.0.
"It's hard to believe he went into Orochimaru's hideout and come out of it in one piece." Sakura whispered.
"I know. I heard the ANBU found several Oto-nin throughout the forests, either dead or too injured to move much. They say he did it." Ino whispered in reply.
"I wonder if he knows where Naruto is." Sakura rubbed at her eyes.
As though she'd said the magic words, Sasuke bolted upright, sharingan active in eyes opened wide and breathing harsh. He took in his surrounds and relaxed slightly but there appeared to be a troubled look in his gaze. "Sakura." He greeted quietly. "How long have I been here?"
"Two days. Your recovery rate is rather impressive, or so I've heard." Sakura replied, looking down, looking away.
Sasuke flinched at the look in her eyes. For a moment . . . but that couldn't be. "Sakura, I – " He didn't know how to finish, his moth snapping shut. He moved to stand, not expecting the sudden vertigo. "Listen, about my past. I mean I'm not– I don't know how–" He gripped the side of the bed and pulled himself to his feet intending to go to her. She'd always waited for him, always wanted to be by his side. Always. He took a wobbly step towards her but she stepped back. His breath hitched as he saw that look on her face again. Fear.
She was terrified of him.
"Sakura, please, don't leave me now." He found himself whispering. "I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I went to him." He took another step, letting go of the bed as he ran out of railing. "You've always been there, even if I didn't always realise it. I realise it now. Please Sakura." He raised a shaking hand towards her.
Smack!
Sasuke stared at his hand in utter disbelief. In that moment, he was sure he felt something within himself break, something he didn't know he still had. She'd smacked his hand away, tears welling up in eyes, eyes that still looked utterly terrified. Ino hugged the pinkete's shoulders. "Don't touch her! We know what you did." Her words were cold, yet quivering, as though afraid Sasuke would lash out.
"I'm just here because I want to know where Naruto-kun is." Sakura managed to mumble out, eyes not meeting Sasuke's.
The door opened suddenly and a familiar face peaked in. "Oh, I apologise. I didn't realise you had guests already." Mikoto stated quickly, about to retreat from the room. Perhaps he'd thought Sasuke would still be sleeping. The Uchiha couldn't think of any other reason as to why his mother was there but for some reason he was really glad she'd come.
"No, don't go." Sasuke stated before he could stop himself. "Sakura had just offered to get me some water so it's okay." There was a desperation clawing its way to the surface, a greedy need to have his mother sit with him and maybe, just maybe, fuss over him.
He'd barely acknowledged Ino, but he never really had so for him, it wasn't anything new. Ino and Sakura seemed glad for the interruption and moved to the door while Mikoto walked further into the room, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable.
Sakura closed the door behind her, eyes looking towards the ground as the tension in the room grew. Mikoto didn't move. She wasn't looking at Sasuke either. The younger Uchiha wondered why she'd bothered to come at all if this was how she was going to act. The earlier emotions were only heightened as his anger started to grow. He wobbled back to the bed, trying to fight the lightheaded feeling that had persisted since he'd sat up. He fully intended to tell his mother to leave, her presence becoming painful. Before he could act on his anger Mikoto stated curtly. "They say you faced off against Orochimaru." He blinked, not sure how to respond. "And that you killed numerous Oto-nin." At this Mikoto lifted her head, eyes cold and determined. What she was looking for, Sasuke couldn't say, but the expression on her face pierced his chest with a pain he wished he could turn off, adding to the fierce throbbing he'd felt over Sakura's rejection. Yet he remained outwardly unaffected, soaking in the way his mother squared her shoulders, clenched her fists, the way her lips thinned and her gaze hardened.
"Yes. I did." He didn't bother with more. What more was there to say?
"My Sasuke would never have done such a thing." Mikoto stated hoarsely, as though she was holding back tears. "Itachi was right, you're not my little Sasuke."
Sasuke was too surprised to even respond. At his blank helplessness Mikoto marched over to him, gripping his shirt before shaking him violently. "Tell me what you did with my little boy!" She demanded, tears finally spilling over. "Tell me he's still there somewhere!"
Sasuke didn't respond, his body limp and his eyes wide.
Hope. Such a fickle thing.
Sasuke didn't know he'd been holding onto a hope that those he loved, would always love him back no matter what he did. Until today. When he'd felt that hope break.
Mikoto was still shaking him, crying more than demanding anything. He could only stare at her in dumbfounded shock. An ANBU appeared and gently removed Mikoto's hold on his shirt. It had to have been Shisui because he then lead Mikoto out of the room, arm around her shoulders. "Where is my little Sasuke?" she sobbed as she exited the room.
Sasuke didn't move, still staring dumbly at the wall, his thoughts a chaotic mess. For all the world knew, he could have been trapped in one of Itachi's genjutsus. Perhaps the other Sasuke should be in charge after all.
.0.0.0.
"He's awake, Minato-Sama." Shisui reported curtly, having just come from the hospital. He waited a moment before sighing and removing his mask. "But he's different." Minato put down the paperwork he'd been working on to give Shisui his full attention. "Different how?"
Shisui slumped into the chair in front of Minato's desk. "He woke up when his teammate was visiting. She didn't react well to him. She appeared to be afraid of him. His mother than arrived and well, he hasn't said a word since. He's been staring at the wall for an hour now. We tried asking him about Naruto, but nothing. Not even a blink."
Minato sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. "I guess we're going to have to call that trial. You know what to do." Shisui looked up in horror. "Not the trial. You can't be serious." Minato didn't answer, his gaze hardening.
"I understand." Shisui said through clenched teeth. "The law is the law."
.0.0.0.
"Come on! You have to go back out there. I can't!" Chibi Sasuke grumbled as he paced the watery tunnel by the Kyuubi's cage. The older Sasuke was lying in the water, eyes dazed over and not responding. He was muttering to himself, too softly for the Chibi Sasuke to hear, leaving himself to sink a little lower every time the other Sasuke's pacing disturbed the water closest to him.
"Make him leave?!" Sasuke directed towards the Kyuubi who was pretending to be asleep. No one could sleep with how loud the Uchiha was being. "He's making me look like an idiot. They're going to book me into a loony bin!" The younger Uchiha whined.
There was a small section on the wall where the Kyuubi allowed the younger Sasuke to see what was happening outside of himself and around himself. What he was seeing wasn't good.
Sasuke was in the mindscape which meant he wasn't controlling their body. The younger Sasuke still couldn't leave and as such he couldn't control their body either. As a consequence the world had been reduced to being fed through a tube, peeing through a tube, a fricken adult diaper, sponge baths and being wheeled around in a wheelchair. It had been three days. Three days of such humiliation.
Minato suddenly entered their field of vision. They were outside, for sunshine or something, sitting drooling in a wheelchair around the pipe the nurses didn't want to shove down his throat every time they needed to feed him. The younger Sasuke stopped pacing, watching the Yondaime intently to see what would happen.
Minato rubbed the back of his head as he took in Sasuke's unmoving form. The last time he was unresponsive he'd been with the Kyuubi. Was this the same? "Sasuke? Can you hear me? Even a little bit." He crouched down and gently shifted the boy's head so he was looking directly at the Yondaime. "If you can hear me, I need you to wake up. The medic-nin say you can. The Yamanaka's say you can. But you just don't want to."
The younger Sasuke wanted to tear his hair out. He slammed the wall in anger. "Just let me take control!" he screamed, feeling his anger and his desperation grow higher than it had ever been before. He felt a small jolt at the back of his head and suddenly he was starting at the Yondaime, the pipe down his throat sore and uncomfortable. Tears welled in his eyes and desperation grew. He tried to talk, the pipe dislodging and choking him. He tried to jump to his feet but all the extra attachments that had been keeping his body alive jerked him to a stop and he fell towards the floor, the wheelchair smacking him on the head and causing him to pass out and end up straight back where he'd began.
"DAMMIT!" He screamed, punching the wall. "I was so close! It's not fair!"
.0.0.0.
"Medic!" Minato yelled, pulling the wheelchair up and trying to see if Sasuke was alright. Two medic-nin appeared and helped him put the limp boy back in the chair. "Take the pipe out. Get him back to normal, he just knocked himself out." Minato ordered. Surely when he woke up again, he be talking?
The wheelchair was pushed back inside Sasuke's room. Where the various medical apparatus was removed and the boy was left to lie in the bed, hopefully where he'd wake up. Itachi watched, not daring to move any closer. These last two weeks had been incredibly taxing on the Uchiha. Minato walked towards him, features grim. "We're going to have to move him soon." Itachi nodded, looking away. "For one, if he wakes up and continues to be unresponsive, they're going to want to move the Kyuubi. For another, his safety will become an issue, from both outside the village and within."
"I know." Itachi replied quietly. "I just don't know what my mother was thinking. You don't think she did anything?" Itachi was referring to the fact that his mother did have and could use the Sharingan.
"Shisui would have seen it if she did." Minato squeezed Itachi's shoulder. "I'm going to the trail room. Everyone should have arrived by now. I was merely stopped here on my way in the hopes that something had changed. I'll leave the rest to you. Perhaps, you will be able to pull something out of him."
Itachi understood what Minato meant. It was time to resort to using his Sharingan. "I'll be there in 20 minutes." Itachi replied, moving towards the unconscious Sasuke. He pulled the boy from the bed and tucked him under one arm. Minato had already disappeared.
For a small moment the Uchiha considered running. They'd never be able to stop him. It would be just him and Sasuke. He could take care of the boy. He'd be able to help him.
But the thought was quickly dismissed. Minato was the best person for Sasuke at this point. He would do everything he could to protect the boy.
He jumped away from the hospital, moving towards the hokage tower. Sasuke was showing signs of being traumatised. He didn't want to force the boy but he was going to have to if he wanted to keep Sasuke the way he was. He didn't doubt that this boy was Sasuke. It was more like he knew something had happened to him. He wanted to know what had happened.
The trial consisted of his parents, Sasuke's team members, Yamanake Inoichi, the Hokage and one or two officials just to ensure that the Hokage was being fair and not negatively influenced by his personal relationships. It had taken some convincing to get his father there.
When Sasuke woke up, he hoped that the boy would be responsive. For all their sakes.
.0.0.0.
His throat was throbbing, sore and dry. That was the first thing he registered. Why would it be sore? He remembered hands around his throat, slamming him against a wall, red and black eyes glaring at him. The clan . . . they were all dead.
It couldn't be possible but it was. He had to go look for himself. He had to know if it had all been a nightmare or if it was real.
He forced his eyes open only to see the same red and black eyes from his nightmare. He shrieked and shoved at the person in front of him, barely registering where he was or who was in front of him. Itachi stumbled backwards as Sasuke punched and kicked out, eyes wild and shrieking.
This wasn't what they'd expected when he'd forced Sasuke into consciousness. "Get away from me. I don't want to die. Just stay away from me!" Sasuke continued to shriek. He flopped out of the chair Itachi had placed him in and scampered across the room hugging the wall when he couldn't scamper further. He was utterly petrified. He kept his gaze on Itachi, whimpering in the corner of the room as though waiting for the older Uchiha to approach him. Itachi was unsure of what to do, unsure of how to respond. This boy was his world, his everything. He'd never had Sasuke look at him like that.
"Sasuke, calm down. Orochimaru isn't here." Minato stated softly, getting up and moving to approach the quivering child. Sasuke froze at the sound of Minato's voice. His mind seemed to stutter before everything came crashing back to him. Ah, yes. He wasn't seven years old, this wasn't the Itachi that had murdered his entire clan, and Orochimaru had been the one to try and strangle him. He closed his eyes with a groan, hugging his knees instead. Orochimaru . . . he'd killed so many of those test subjects and oto-nin. He couldn't undo that. Sakura's fear filled gaze flashed through his thoughts. He began to rock backwards and forwards, his distress growing. How was he going to fix this?
Sakura who'd always been there for him, always praised him and wanted to be at his side. She wanted nothing to do with him.
"Naruto, where is Naruto?" Sakura asked, despite being told not to speak unless she'd been called upon.
Itachi watched as Sasuke flinched at the sound of Sakura's voice. He heard the boy mutter "Neko." But otherwise didn't respond.
Neko? Itachi looked at Minato who shrugged. He was also unsure of what to do. Sasuke seemed more than a little damaged, reacting even more strangely than before.
NEKO! The realisation hit Itachi like a kunai to the gut. Had Sasuke really been so brilliant? He ran through the hand signs as fast as he could before slamming his hand on the floor. One might have said he was flustered but then that wouldn't be very Itachi-like now would it.
A large ninja-cat appeared, bringing with it a hogtied Naruto Namikaze who was struggling and screaming through a gag shoved in his mouth. The cat handed the boy to Itachi before bowing and disappearing again.
Minato somehow managed to look more tired rather than relieved or even surprised at the sudden appearance of his wayward son. He pulled out a kunai and cut the ropes holding Naruto in place. The blonde yanked the gag out of his mouth looking nothing short of livid before pulling out his own kunai and rushing at Sasuke. "Who gave you the right to get in my way?!" He screamed and he pulled Sasuke to his feet and shoved the kuani under Sasuke's throat. "Revenge is the only thing that matters do you hear me!" Naruto pressed the kunai harder and a line of blood appeared. Minato yanked Naruto away and grabbed the hand with the kunai, literally crushing the bones in the boy's hand. Itachi looked away as the snap and crunch filled the room. It was a fixable injury but it was still a harsh choice of action to take.
Naruto screamed in pain as the kunai dropped from his now useless fingers. The look he gave Minato was one of pure betrayal. "Does she not matter to you?" he asked, breath huffing with the pain of his crushed fingers. Minato stared at his son, wondering just what he could do that would fix the burning rage in his son. Before he could answer a voice drawled from the corner.
"Oh boohoo, one little death and you're all fired up to take on the Elemental Nations." Everyone turned to look at Sasuke who rubbed at the line on his neck with a wince. "One little traumatic experience and your life is forever ruined. What a joke." He pushed away from the wall. "You know nothing about suffering, nothing about revenge, and nothing about the pain of being utterly lonely." Sasuke was completely devoid of any emotion, nothing in his voice and even less on his face. "You don't even know who you're directing your anger towards, leaving you with nothing but a burning desire that can never be sated. At least I know where to direct my anger, as least I can say I know when I've exacted my revenge. But you? You'll watch the world burn to ash and still hunger for more." He paused, a smile forming on his face as he took in Naruto's expression. "I've seen your so called pain. I've seen your hell. . . And it doesn't even compare to mine."
"What is your hell Sasuke?" Kakashi interrupted. He knew there was a change in the boy. Something unhinged and likely something to capitalise on. Sasuke looked towards him, the smile dropping from his face the moment he spotted Sakura. A pained expression pinched his eyebrows together.
It was as though he wasn't altogether there. He seemed to withdraw, muttering quietly to himself. The boy wasn't unhinged, he'd gone completely mad. Kakashi wondered if Itachi would be forced to use his sharingan yet again.
Sasuke's gaze was lost, his thoughts muddled. His Sharingan began fluctuating, active and inactive, as his emotions fluttered to and fro. He never realised how much Sakura meant to him until today. Perhaps he'd really grown fond of her all along. Perhaps seeing Naruto so angry and cold had made him realise how much he'd lost, how much he just wanted to go home. This world wasn't his problem to fix, it wasn't his mess to clean up. He had his own damaged life to fix. But what if he was stuck here now? Surely he should work to get things in order? Even so, he was justified in wanting revenge for his clan. Leaving Sakura, well she'd understand. He needed power and Orochimaru was offering it freely.
Without realising it Sasuke had begun to hum, a tune from his infancy and early years at the Academy. His mother would sing him to sleep with a lullaby so sweet he couldn't bear to allow himself to remember it after her death. Yet, there he was, humming it to himself as his unfocused gaze moved from one end of the room to the other end of the room. How did he manage to get home? Could he even go home?
Itachi felt his heart squeeze. That song was never one he'd heard his mother sing to Sasuke, and never one she'd dared to sing after the Kyuubi incident. Sasuke had barely had a warm blanket, his parents not involving themselves in the boy's life if they didn't have to. He was kept alive and just that. Any affection had been lost the moment the Kyuubi had been sealed within the younger Uchiha. So then, how did he know that tune?
Itachi grabbed Sasuke's chin, forcing the boy to look at his Sharingan. He caught the fluctuating Sharingan and forced himself into the boy's mind. At the same time Minato gave Inoichi the signal and everyone in the room was suddenly connected to Sasuke's mind.
A version of Sasuke appeared in front of Itachi. He looked like Sasuke, from his clothes to the expression on his face. This was the Sasuke before the Academy graduation. He grinned when he saw Itachi and ran up to him. "Aniki! It's been so long." He hugged Itachi tightly, but then winced and quickly let go. "I uhm, I'm sorry about your leg." He looked away with a deep anxious frown.
"Sasuke, what's going on?" Itachi pressed, noticing how his mother was trying to press her presence into appearance. He could not allow that, not yet.
Sasuke winced again. "You're going to have to go deeper. He's hiding. He doesn't like you." He sighed, looking guilty. A permanent mind transfer jutsu? Could that be what was wrong with Sasuke? It was a different sort of infiltration. Not a pleasant one. There was hardly a guarantee you'd come out of it. Itachi took the boy's advice and pressed deeper, moving past the water sewer he recognised to be the Kyuubi's seal, deaper than what was safe, looking for any hint of another presence.
Huddled in a dark corner, sat a black clad figure, rocking backwards and forwards, hugging his knees. He was pale, thin, almost sickly looking. A reflection of the state of mind they had witnessed in the real world perhaps.
Itachi approached the figure carefully, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder. A hand snapped up and gripped his wrist painfully. Enough so that he was sure he would have bruises on his physical self. This type of mind invasion was far too dangerous to attempt for not reason. Anything that happened had real world consequences.
Large, dark ringed eyes glared up him as the figure moved to a standing position. Sasuke, no longer small and guilty looking, stood before him. He was almost as tall as Itachi, angry enough to have a sharp haze clouding the edges of his body, and holding a sword aimed for Itachi's stomach.
Itachi took the moment of the boy's hesitation to yank the boy closer, feeling the blade sink into his stomach. Sasuke's gaze widened and the glare melted from his face, turning to a look of shocked concern. "Aniki!" He tried to look down at the blade, tried to pull away. Itachi forced Sasuke to keep eye contact, and to stay trapped against his chest. "Just who are you?" Itachi asked before ripping the boy's mind to shreds.
They were sucked into a world of happy sounds and bright colour, an early memory of a smiling Sasuke, holding Itachi's hand. This was normal, something that would have happened. "Aniki, can you help me with my training today, after we finish with the delivery?"
"Perhaps, if we finish with enough time." Itachi recognised the younger version of himself, but it did not help him place the memory. This Sasuke was too young to have the Kyuubi just yet. Yet this was not a memory he could recall.
The background was that of the Uchiha district, the police force building on their left. An odd distortion rippled over the memory and Itachi found himself watching as the colour drained from the recollection, buildings collapsing, ruined banners and furniture strewn across the streets and what he was sure was blood splattered over there the walls and windows appeared. Then the distortion was gone, the memory replaced with an Academy classroom. Sasuke was sitting in his seat, old enough to have had the Kyuubi sealed within him. He was doing his best to ignore a row of girls just behind him, fawning over how cute his hair looked. In front of the classroom, Umino Iruka was scolding Naruto for some or other prank. The whole scene felt backwards. Naruto was the one the girl's fawned over, and Sasuke was usually the one pulling the pranks.
Then the memories backtracked, to show a younger Sasuke again, talking to Itachi. Only there was a slight haze to memory's quality, as those he had actively tried to forget the memory yet had not been able.
"Aniki, why does the Police Force crest have the Uchiha crest in it?" Sasuke asked, staring at the building as they passed it. His brother was carrying him home after he'd sprained an ankle trying to mimic something he'd seen his brother do. Those targets had always fascinated him, the trick behind them eluding his young mind. He had followed Itachi, watching him as he practised. He'd revealed his presence to his brother and had asked him to try. Before Itachi could stop him he'd already sprained his ankle. "Ah, so you've finally noticed." Itachi mused. "It's because the Uchiha are the ones that run the Police Force. It's a part of our clan."
"When I grow up I'm going to join the Police Force, just like father." Sasuke beamed and Itachi looked pained. Yet Sasuke was oblivious to this expression. As they approached the clan compound gates, Fugaku stood waiting, a frown on his face. "You're late." The tone was dismissive, not looking nor needing excuses. Fugaku didn't wait for an answer either. He left the moment he was satisfied his message had been delivered. They were silent as they continued their way back to the house.
Just before they reached the front door, Sasuke asked another question. "Aniki, do you think father will come to the ceremony tomorrow?" Sasuke asked quietly. The thirteen year old Uchiha looked down at the boy, his thoughts on his father. "Carefully on your ankle Sasuke." Itachi warned as he put the smaller Uchiha down. I want you to go rest it while I go talk to Father." Sasuke frowned, moving to the back porch where he could sit down and stare out at the garden. "You know I'm supposed to go with you."
Itachi was now on his way to his father's meeting room, not at all concerned that this little impromptu conversation with Sasuke was further delaying him from something he was already late for. This meeting was about a mission that Itachi wasn't planning on going on.
"He would want to go." Itachi answered Sasuke's earlier question, pausing at the door to the room and looking back at Sasuke.
"Will you come?" Sasuke already knew the answer.
"I would really want to, but I have a mission." Itachi answered. Sasuke didn't respond and the two went into the room, closing the door behind them. Fugaku sat waiting for the two of them, not even giving note to Sasuke's slight limp.
"If you complete tomorrow's mission, Itachi-kun, your entrance into ANBU Black Ops is all but assured." Sasuke felt the shift in his father's chakra to show that he had activated his Sharingan, "Do you understand." Not a question, a statement that held a hint of warning. Itachi wasn't allowed to fail this mission. Not that Itachi had ever failed a mission before.
Itachi was silent, not replying for a moment before his quiet reply "You don't have to worry about me out there, a-and more importantly . . ." The hesitance in Itachi's voice was not something that belonged there. Sasuke thought his Aniki should never be anything but sure of himself. But here was about to interrupt his rather, go against him and that was likely to make even Sasuke pause. Itachi looked to Sasuke. Fugaku watched silently, not saying a word. "Otou-san, you see, tomorrow afternoon is–" Sasuke began when Itachi gave him a more pressing look, almost smiling warmly at him, Fugaku cut him off.
"This mission tomorrow, it's not just about you. Your performance will reflect on our entire clan." Sasuke looked away and bit his lip.
"Actually . . . I'm going to pass on tomorrow's mission." A cool, calm statement that had Sasuke holding back a choke of surprise. "What are you talking about?!" Fugaku was angry, leaning forward as he demanded an explanation from Itachi. "That's insanity." Sasuke found himself wondering if Itachi was crazy. Why would he willingly make their father so angry?
"You know how important this is." Itachi didn't at all seem fazed by Fugaku's words, proven only further when he didn't so much as flinch at Fugaku's enraged order, "You'll do no such thing!"
Itachi blinked once, not responding right away. "I have to, tomorrow is Sasuke's entrance ceremony." Itachi smiled, and Fugaku looked a little lost for words. "Our family has to attend. It's customary at the Academy. You received a notice, remember." It wasn't really a question.
The man grit his teeth, closing his eyes in annoyance before getting to his feet. "Alright I get it. I'll be at the Academy tomorrow."
As they walked away from the meeting room, Itachi looked towards him and asked "How is your leg, Sasuke?" Sasuke smiled and replied quietly "It'll be fine."
Itachi hummed before repling, "Well just take it easy for a little while."
The memory faded, Itachi's appearance lingering a moment longer than the rest of the memory. A new memory quickly took its place. The sound somewhat distorted.
Sasuke stood still, his attention focused on the leaves blowing in the trees behind them rather than the words of the Sandaime as the entrance ceremony proceeded.
Those watching the memories were taken aback by the presence of the Sandaime. To them the man had been long dead before Sasuke would have been old enough to go to the Academy.
Glancing behind him, he saw his father, face set in a silent frown as though being here was not on his things to do list. Sasuke looked past him and noticed a blond boy sitting on a swing looking a little more miserable than his father. The boy peaked his curiosity but not enough for him to do anything about it. His attention moved back to the ceremony.
When it was over, Itachi noticeably absent from the ceremony, having only threatened to come because it would make Fugaku come, Sasuke was standing with his father listening to some Academy sensei talk about the greatness of Itachi. Not that Sasuke blamed the man but did he have to do it right in front of Sasuke? Sasuke couldn't help but think that Itachi's attendance would have meant more to him than Fugaku's but he was touched that Itachi seemed to think otherwise and had made sure that Fugaku attended.
"Boy, it seems like only yesterday that you were here for Itachi-kun huh?" The man continued, Sasuke doing his very best to ignore him while still looking semi interested. The man seemed to remember his presence because he looked down at Sasuke "And you're his spitting image." At one time, Sasuke had been flattered by this. Now, he was annoyed at all the sucking up that his father had to endure.
Fugaku, however seemed used to it because he gave a small smile. "Thank-you for your help with both of my boys."
"Oh, not at all, it's been a pleasure." Sasuke remembered that there were different Academy teachers for different years and this man was one of the beginning ones. Probably the man that taught the jutsu signs. Their graduating homeroom teacher would be the teacher that taught them the most about being Shinobi. Previous years would concentrate on reading, writing and various other basics like throwing shuriken and kunai correctly.
The man had started talking again. "That boy of yours is a true prodigy. There hasn't been another like him in the history of the Academy." Eyes travelled down to Sasuke, the young Uchiha wondering if perhaps the man was wondering if Sasuke was anything like his brother.
The memory faded away, the initial importance having been shown, with only Sasuke's annoyance at the man lingering like a slight aftertaste. A new memory followed quickly. Naruto was standing in front of Sasuke pouting and grumbling about not being treated the same as Sasuke when clearly they were the same in skill. Sasuke didn't seem to be taking Naruto's grumbling very seriously, but the other students seemed to think Naruto was nothing short of a village idiot. Sakura smacked Naruto on the head and screamed at him to leave Sasuke alone. The scene was so out of place, so unnatural to those watching that they almost dropped the connection. It was exactly what they would have expected, only with Naruto and Sasuke's roles being reversed.
Sasuke was home again, not much older than the last memory, if barely any older at all.
His father's chuckle stopped him from walking to his room, curious to see what had his father in such a good mood. Sasuke looked towards the flickering silhouettes of his father and brother as his father congratulated Itachi on making it into the ANBU black ops. The longing was deeply set in the memory when Fugaku said the one phrase that Sasuke dearly wished was being said to him. "Now then, that's my boy."
A blurred vision of training in the clan forests, attempting to hit the targets but failing miserably. A sense of frustration carried them through to the next memory.
Sasuke sat mutely as he waited for his father to finish reading his report card. Sasuke hadn't even looked at it. He knew that everything was perfect, top to bottom.
He looked at his father with hopeful and breathless anticipation.
The report card was lowered but Sasuke tried not to let his desperation show. Fugaku stated in an even tone, "Keep excelling like this and you'll be just like your brother in no time."
It didn't even occur to him that Sasuke was tired of being seen as nothing more than a miniature Itachi and that all it would've taken to get a smile out of him, was to say 'well done Sasuke', to mention nothing of Itachi in the process.
Sasuke respected his brother more than anything but he really didn't want to be stuck in Itachi's shadow. He wanted to be his own person too. He nodded once, "Yes Otou-san." The memory lingered on the report card before fading into the next one. A lot appeared to have happened in this point of Sasuke's life. The age gaps were small and barely any. Itachi's presence was fading and that worried the older Uchiha. He hardly believed he'd be so absent in his younger brother's life, even if this Sasuke was clearly very different.
Sasuke was woken when his father's angry shout rang through their home.
"Come again?! What do you mean you can't participate in tomorrow's assembly?" Itachi had been growing more and more distant, hardly ever at home these days.
His mother and father were in a room with Itachi. Sasuke shuffled out of his room and towards the shouting, wondering what it could all be about.
"I don't think you really understand your position." Fugaku continued while silently Sasuke listened at the door in confusion. He'd never seen his father so angry with Itachi. "I'm setting off on a mission tomorrow." Itachi replied calmly, as though this was something that was happening with or without Fugaku's permission and it probably was. "What are you talking about?" Did their father really not think that by sending Itachi into the ANBU Black Ops, he'd also be taxing more of Itachi's time? After all Itachi could hardly say no to a mission from ANBU just because the clan decided to have a meeting. Didn't his father know this?
"I can't tell you, the mission is covert." Itachi replied, his tone conveying nothing of his thoughts or emotions. There was a pause, in which Fugaku gathered his thoughts, putting aside his anger. "Itachi, you also serve as the Uchiha Clan's pipeline to the Village's nerve centre. You know that don't you?"
"Yes." A single word, emotionless. The sound was distorted in this memory, as though coming through water. It was difficult to hear the words properly and that was probably because Sasuke had tried his best to forget it.
"Well make sure you don't forget it. You will be at that meeting tomorrow." It wasn't something Itachi had answered. Not directly. "Sasuke," Itachi was using him as a distraction. Sasuke opened the door and stepped inside the room. "You should go to the bathroom and hurry back to bed." Sasuke was confused at first, but he recognised the dismissal when he saw it.
He watched sadly as his mother looked utterly shocked at seeing him standing there, his father growing angry, well even more so than what he had already been. What was it about this situation that caused their reactions? "What are you doing roaming the house at this hour?" Fugaku asked, getting to his feet. "Get to bed!"
Sasuke looked at Itachi.
"Sasuke!" Fugaku snapped. He nodded and left the room, not wanting to anger his father any more than what he already had. However, he left the room feeling nothing but confused.
A new memory, one heavy with distortion. It was later the next day that found Sasuke and Itachi sitting outside of their house, Sasuke's report card between them. The garden was too bright, the sound of the water feature dominating the atmosphere. This memory was painful and Sasuke resisted it. Itachi grunted as he felt the pull.
"Otou-san only cares about you, Itachi-kun." Sasuke stated very quietly. The words were dragging, beign forced out of the memory. Itachi had looked at the clouds and smiled a soft sad smile, but an understanding one, "You probably hate me huh?"
Sasuke seemed scared that Itachi would be mad at him, that Itachi had guessed so correctly at what he'd been thinking right at that moment. He even looked a little guilty.
"It's alright. People often think ill of Shinobi, it's only logical." Itachi seemed amused at Sasuke's guilty expression. The memory pulled and warped, where only sound came through. "That's not how I feel." Sasuke had tried to protest, to deny his own feelings to himself. But the moment the words had left his mouth he knew he'd been lying. It focused again as Itachi forced more effort into maintaining the connection. But the sound was still off.
"Hn." A small smile, a private joke that Sasuke now understood. "Being the best isn't all that it's cracked up to be. When you have power you become arrogant and isolated from the world, no matter how coveted and sought after you are in the beginning, but with us it's different because you and I are flesh and blood. I'm always going to be there for you, even if it's only as an obstacle to overcome." Here he paused to look at Sasuke, "Even if you do hate me. That's what big brothers are for."
But then they were interrupted by someone opening their door and shouting into the house, again.
"Is Itachi in there?!" An angry demand of an arrogant Uchiha. One that made Sasuke scowl in annoyance. "We need to talk. Get out here!" Itachi approached them wearily, not at all concerned about their anger. He was merely tired from his mission. Sasuke followed but at a slight distance.
"What's going on?" Itachi asked and Sasuke watched from the doorway, hoping to not be seen and sent away. The memory was suddenly sharp, vibrant, the words loud and overbearing.
"There were two people who didn't show up at yesterday's assembly." A very poorly veiled accusation. A slight pause before "Do you want to tell me why you weren't there?" An angry demand in a tone so disrespectful it made Sasuke grit his teeth. "You're in the ANBU Black Ops now. I know full well that you can be called away at the drop of a hat, and that's the case your father was trying to make when we asked why you weren't there." His tone suggested that no one believed it for a moment.
"But we're not your father. You won't be getting any special treatment from us." One of the others added. Itachi bowed his head in acknowledgement, but the action was a very slight one. "I understand. I should have been more careful. Will that be all then?" Sasuke could hear the slight irritation in Itachi's tone but only because he knew to look for it.
"Sure thing, but you know what, before we go there's just one other thing."
Itachi had the sense to look more attentive as one of the other's continued. "Do you . . . know anything about Uchiha Shisui throwing himself into Nakana River?"
"Shisui was the other guy that didn't turn up at the assembly yesterday." This guy was a lot more aggressive in his approach than the other guy. Sasuke could see that he'd already condemned Itachi and that he was just waiting for a chance to hit him. "It's funny. If I remember correctly you kind of looked up to him like an older brother, didn't you?" The man continued, oblivious to the pain he was causing Itachi and he was causing Itachi pain. Sasuke could see that. See it in the way Itachi closed his eyes to hide what he was feeling.
"How terrible." Itachi murmured. "Forgive me, I haven't seen him at all recently." He opened his eyes, whispering in a tone that was filled with hidden pain. "What a tragedy."
"Yeah, well at this point the police force sees no other choice but to launch a full out investigation into the matter."
Sasuke watched as Itachi played his part perfectly. "Investigation?" A note was handed to Itachi after having been pulled from between the layers of material on one of the Uchiha's sashes. "This is a note Shisui left behind. We've already had it analysed. There is no question that this is his handwriting." Itachi didn't move to take the note. "But if it wasn't homicide, why the investigation?"
"It would be no great feat for someone who possesses Sharingan to copy his handwriting." Another thinly veiled accusation. This time Itachi did take the note, examining it as the one who'd given it to him began talking again. "The most talented of all our clan feared as Shunshin no Shisui would do anything, take any mission, for the good of the clan. Hard to imagine a man like that throwing it all away, don't you think." This time the accusation was so obvious it was painful.
"You shouldn't judge people by their appearances . . . or by your own preconceptions." Itachi replied coldly, but yet still managing to sound polite.
"We'll leave that with you. Take it to ANBU Black Ops and put in a request for them to start sniffing around as well." They appeared to be leaving but Sasuke knew it was far from over. "Understood." Itachi replied curtly. "Let's just hope we get a lead on this soon." One man sighed as they walked out of the house they had so rudely barged into.
"By the way," The man that really irritated Sasuke stopped to add over his shoulder. "We have our own connections within the ANBU Black Ops. You try and sweep this investigation under the rug, and we're going to know about it."
Sasuke immediately understood that the man had crossed a line with that last little dig at Itachi, that last poorly disguised accusation. Itachi's entire demeanour changed like a switch had been flicked. Eyes narrowed, lips thinned and his hand clenched against the note that was Shusui's letter. The memory sharpened even more and strangely the colour drained from it, all of the focus on Itachi.
"Why don't you just come out and say it." An angry, gruffly stated challenge. Sasuke wanted to interfere here but did not, not yet. He was just as angry as Itachi. How dare they even suspect Itachi had anything to do with it! Three sets of activated Sharingan eyes looked back at Itachi whose Sharingan was also active; the only colour in the whole memory. "You believe I had a hand in this, don't you." Not a question.
"Yeah that's right, little punk." Sasuke's anger only grew upon hearing that man think so lowly of Itachi. It just wasn't fair.
"Listen here Itachi, if I find you betrayed this clan I just want you to know, you'll pay for your wrongs." The man that had been somewhat polite up till now warned arrogantly just before Itachi attacked them, not even trying to best them and succeeding spectacularly all the same.
When Itachi spoke again, his Sharingan was no longer active and his tone was completely different. He was now openly patronising them. "Like I said before, appearances and preconceptions aren't going to tell you anything. For instance you've already made the mistake of assuming I'm a patient man. The clan, the clan . . . You over-estimate your own abilities with no idea of the depth of my own." Those words had a special emphasis placed on them, almost like Itachi was indulging in the arrogance of the Uchiha clan. "And look at you now, grovelling in the dirt."
One of the men managed to recover enough to speak once more "Shisui . . . Shisui had been keeping an eye on you recently, the strangeness of your behaviour, half a year into your time at ANBU, it was impossible to overlook. What the heck are you playing at you filthy little wretch."
Sasuke bit his lip to keep himself in place. It would not do to interfere.
"Obsessed with the organisation," Itachi began again, eyes narrowing with blazing Sharingan, "Obsessed with the clan, obsessed with our lineage. A worthless compulsion that enslaves us and limits our capabilities, leading us to fear what we don't understand." Itachi hissed out, for once showing nothing but honesty and Sasuke found himself entranced with his brother's views, his opinions. Listening in a way he hadn't done so the first time around.
"Stop it Itachi!" Fukagu yelled having finally arrived at the house. Itachi's attention snapped towards the man, and he continued. "What on earth is the matter with you? . . . Itachi, you've been strange lately." That last statement had almost been stated like Fugaku was admitting to a defeat.
"Nothing strange about me. I have my own duties to fulfil, that's all." Itachi wasn't looking at Fugaku as he said this and Sasuke could see his brother once again collecting the calm patient mask that he usually donned.
"So what's your story, why didn't you come last night?" Fugaku demanded.
"To achieve the next state." Itachi replied dully.
"What are you talking about?" Fugaku asked, his tone nearing frustration.
Itachi reacted suddenly, pulling out a kunai and tossing it at the wall, where it landed directly in the centre of the clan's crest. As the kunai landed the crest exploded into colour. This was a sign more obnoxious than any words Itachi would have ever spoken. This was his truest protest.
"I've had enough, there's no hope left for this pathetic clan." Itachi stated darkly. "The people of this clan are all the same. You focus on the trivial and lose sight of what's most important. Change is impossible in this fog of ignorance. How can we evolve when regulation is all we know?" Itachi seemed to be speaking to himself, the Uchiha he had knocked down earlier, getting to their feet.
Fugaku narrowed his eyes and Sasuke once again felt the charge in the air, that tension that seemed to scream of inevitable violence. He didn't stop to think about what he was about to do, he simply acted.
"Such arrogance." One spat in disgust. "That's enough, if I hear once more word of this nonsense–"
He rushed out of the house towards his brother, yet stopping in the doorway. "Aniki!"
At Sasuke's appearance Itachi seemed to catch himself. His entire demeanour became more reserved and coldly polite.
Itachi dropped to his knees. "I apologise for my actions. I did not kill Shisui. And I must apologise for the words that I have said." He didn't explain any further, keeping his head low.
The four Uchiha men seemed stunned and for a moment no one moved, no one said a word but Fugaku recovered first. "Itachi-kun has been pretty tired lately. Up to his ears in missions from the ANBU Black Ops." His tone was robotic, a father making excuses so that his heart would not believe what his eyes had seen.
"But taichou!–"
"ANBU are under the direct control of the Hokage. Even if you wanted to arrest one of them, you'd need to get a warrant first. I take full responsibility for him. You have my word." Fugaku interrupted while the men grumbled their displeasure, realising there was nothing they could do even if they wanted to.
"Very well taichou."
Fugaku ignored him, walking into the house with a tired gait and a heavy expression, leaving his son kneeling on the ground behind him. Itachi looked towards the man, and Sasuke saw the transformation as they morphed into those of the Mangekyou Sharingan.
The memories that followed this event showed a cold distance between Itachi and Fugaku. They were barely relevant and deeply seeped in worry. Sasuke may have been young but he understood that all was not well. Blurry days at the Academy with continued challenges from Naruto where the blond boy always lost and was ridiculed by his classmates.
One memory focused and lingered. The memory of Fugaku teaching Sasuke how to perform the fireball jutsu. The initial excitement at being taught a jutsu, the frustration at failing when he'd father had clearly expected more, the determination to succeed and show that he could, the moment of contentment with his mother, the elation at finally being able to perform the jutsu, the joy at finally getting to hear the line that he'd been so desperate to hear.
"Now then, that's my boy. You've done well. Work hard and you're bound to soar high and bring honour to that crest you wear on your back." Sasuke closed his eyes and smiled a soft, grateful smile. No matter how many times he heard it, it would always mean the world to him.
"I will. I will always find a way to bring honour to the Uchiha name." Sasuke promised.
"From now on, mark your own path." Fugaku paused to look back at him, "Not in the footsteps of your brother."
Sasuke closed his eyes to saviour the bitter sweet moment.
A memory of Sasuke sitting with his mom as she made dinner. He was working on his homework and complaining about Itachi being the favourite. Mikoto turned to Sasuke with a smile, "Can I tell you a secret?" Sasuke nodded, eager to know what his mother would say. "When we're alone, the only one he talks about is you." Sasuke's happiness at this memory was a strong one, leaking into the next memory as he spared with Naruto at the Academy and won with little to no effort.
Sasuke watching Itachi train, asking to be trained, watching as his father and his brother grew more strained. Sasuke and Naruto's clashes at the Academy, Sasuke always out preforming Naruto by a mile and then some. The memories flashed by seeming to fall into something of a routine.
Sasuke walked into the main room only to see Itachi putting on his shoes. He'd hardly seen the other with all the missions he was constantly going on. He smiled and paused. "Aniki." Sasuke greeted and Itachi turned to him. "Do you think you could help me with my shuriken jutsu after school today?"
"No, I'm busy." Almost like a reflex for the ninja and Sasuke bit back the smirk that was both nostalgic and pained. He'd almost expected a different response. "Why don't you go ask father to help you?"
"Aww, come on, you're way better at the shuriken jutsu than what he is. I mean even I can see that." Sasuke pouted at him and he could see the amusement in Itachi's eyes. "Aniki, why do you always treat me like such a pest?" Sasuke pouted further. Itachi turned to him fully, a small smile on his face and gestured for Sasuke to come closer. Even though Sasuke knew what was coming he walked over to his brother whose smile widened before poking Sasuke's forehead. He could see that Itachi was grateful for the small moment of normalcy even as he said "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, some other time maybe, okay?"
He stood, eyes moving away from Sasuke's view. "I don't have time for this today." He sighed and the meaning of those words were lost on Sasuke.
"You're always doing this to me. You jab me in the forehead and say 'I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, and you never have time. It's always the same story." Sasuke had whined at one point in time, hardly grasping how selfish and childish those words had been at the time he'd said them.
He watched as Itachi walked out the door, ready for another mission. He sighed sadly, sorry that he wasn't able to make his brother feel just a little better.
The cracked and broken Uchiha crest upon the wall was the last thing he saw before the door was closed once again.
The familiar sound of the dishes being washed filled the room as Sasuke sat with his father at the table. He glanced towards the man, taking in his distant expression. It was just a little after Itachi has left. "Otou-san, are there different kinds of Sharingan?" Sasuke asked, looking down at his breakfast. "Why, what have you seen?" Fugaku asked. Sasuke backed down, not sure if he should say anything more and mumbled, "Nothing, I was just wondering."
"Otou-san, why is aniki always so cold to me?" Sasuke swiftly changed the subject realising that his father was too high strung for difficult conversations. "He's a peculiar one, your brother. He's never cared about being liked or making friends or any of that." Fugaku murmured, looking to the ceiling in contemplation.
"Why do you think he's like that?" Sasuke knew that his father didn't know but he asked all the same. Talking about Itachi seemed to be loosening him up.
"I don't know. As his father you'd think I would have a clue. But I don't." This fact was whispered in quiet anguish, as though this really pained him. "People are starting to tell me that now I need to watch out for both of you but I don't think so, do I Sasuke-kun? You're just as confused by Itachi-kun as the rest of us are?" Fugaku's eyes snapped to him and Sasuke tilted his head slightly. "Hai, Otou-san." Sasuke replied with a small nod.
Sasuke offered his father a smile. "Got your lunch ready, Sasuke-kun. It's time to go." Mikoto announced happily as she held out his lunch towards him. "And when you get home today I'll watch you practice you're shuriken jutsu."
"It's not practice Okaa-san," Sasuke chuckled. "It's training."
This time there was a stronger pull towards disconnecting the mind link. Whatever was about to happen, whatever they'd been building towards, Sasuke did not want them to see it. "STOP IT!" he'd managed to pull them back to the mind scape, where the older looking Sasuke was furious. "It's got nothing to do with you."
Itachi smiled sadly, "That's where you're wrong." He activated the Mangekyou Sharingan and forced the connection again. Somewhere he wondered if this was really such a great idea.
It was late and Sauke was running through the Uchiha compound, not really taking in any of the details around them. He paused suddenly staring up at a relatively wide pole, sure he was being watched, only there was nothing there.
So he continued running, making his way through the deserted streets. Throwing open the door to his own home Sasuke paused on the threshold, habit the only thing that made him take off his shoes before continuing into the building. He knew something wasn't right. He began searching through the house, calling into the dark rooms and growing more and more uneasy when he didn't find his parents or his brother.
There was one last room he still had to search. The memory pulled and warped just as he was trying to pull open the door, hesitating as his heart pounded in his ears. "Aniki?" he questioned into the darkness. His eyes struggled to adjust but he was sure he could see someone standing in the room.
He looked down and his gaze widened. His parents were lying on the ground, blood pooling around them. "What is this, aniki?" Sasuke whispered. He closed his eyes, not willing to see the unseeing gaze of his father's eyes. "Who would do such a thing?"
"Sasuke-kun, my foolish little brother." Itachi stated softly.
The young Uchiha opened his eyes, only to be staring straight into Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan.
He gasped as the world around him turned black and red. Over and over he was forced to watch those of his clan die. Over and over he was forced to watch as his mother and father were killed right in front of him. After what seemed to be an eternity he managed to pull himself out of it with a scream of pain as he fell to the ground, gasping for air. His heart raced in his ears, making it seem like there was no other sound in the world but he knew there was.
He was lying on the ground, unable to get up, unable to move towards his brother. He gasped and huffed for air as the world around him seemed to be crashing down. He managed to struggle to his feet, looking at his brother "Why? Why did you do this?" He whispered.
A sad attempt was made at trying to punch his brother and all he got for his troubles was a fist buried deep in his stomach. He fell to the floor yet again, hands and knees falling in the pool of blood around his parents. "I did this to test the limits of my own strength, to reach the next level." Itachi moved towards him again, and Sasuke scrambled away, tears streaming from his face. "Stay away from me!"
Itachi moved again, and Sasuke ran from the room screaming, "I don't want to die! I wanna live!" This time the he saw the shuriken, the sword slashes, the destruction . . . he saw the bodies. The memory was frantic, clouded by shock and panic.
Itachi was suddenly right in front of him. Sasuke picked up a stray kunai and threw it, the kunai missing vital points and merely serving to slash Itachi's headband.
"I did this to test my ability, to see who could stand against me."
"I don't understand." Sasuke blubbered, barely managing to not run away again.
"I know. So think of it as a testament of how highly I think of you, foolish little brother." Itachi replied, using that annoying nickname, but the one that fit him most. "I have acted like the older brother you desired for one reason, because I wanted to discover how powerful you were. I needed to find a worthy opponent to test the limits of my own abilities. You, have that unique potential. Hating me, will give you the desire to defeat me which is the exact reason I'm going to allow you to live. Don't you see, it's all for my own benefit? Like me, you may be one of the few that can use Mangekyou Sharingan. But there is a catch." Here Itachi paused and Sasuke stared at him in confusion. "Take the life of your best friend. You must kill him!" That was a lie. He knew that itachi hadn't killed Shisui and he'd still gained the Mangekyou. "Just like I did."
Itachi didn't require Sasuke to say anything as he continued to speak. "In the main hall of Nakano Shrine, underneath the seventh tatami mat on the far right, is the clan's secret gathering place. There you will find a secret document, an explanation of the Uchiha's clan's jutsu. It tells of the visual jutsu's true purpose." Itachi stopped to smirk arrogantly, "If you discover how to activate it, you will be the third person to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan, including myself." Itachi stopped to chuckle, "To ensure that that happens, that's enough reason to let you live." Itachi moved and Sasuke flinched away. "Oh don't worry, you're not worth killing my foolish little brother." Itachi appeared to be disgusted by Sasuke's cowardice "If you wish to kill me one day, in hate and revenge, surviving in such an unsightly manner such as this, by all means flee, cling to your wretched life and then one day when you possess the same eyes, come back and face me."
When Sasuke was faced with those Sharingan eyes again, this time, he didn't break out of the genjutsu; Itachi had made it too strong.
He managed to stay with it long enough to watch as Itachi turned away, tears reflecting in the moonlight.
The rest of the memories came faster now, as though Sasuke had given up on resisting and wanted the experience over with. Waking up in the hospital, returning to the Academy, Naruto's failure, Naruto's sudden appearance at the team assignments, team assignments, Kakashi's introduction, their first mission, the mission to Wave, the feeling of dying at Haku's hand, the confusion of waking up again, the chunin nomination, the chunin exams, Orochimaru's attack, the curse mark, the sealing of the curse mark, the month of training with Kakashi, the fight with Gaara, Naruto defeating Gaara, finding out Itachi had been seen in the village and was after Naruto, going to Naruto's aid, being beaten thoroughly by Itachi and then once again being trapped in a genjutsu, waking up from the genjutsu and meeting Tsunade, the fight on the rooftop that Kakashi had to interrupt, the talk with Kakashi while being tied to a tree, the fight with the Sound Four, leaving with the sound four, facing off against Naruto, his transformation while using the Kyuubi's chakra lingering, the ending of the fight, leaving to join Orochimaru, the training with Orochimaru, the missions, the victims, all of it culminating in Naruto finding Sasuke, Sasuke leaving Naruto and Sakura to go train, and finally waking up in this world, just as confused as the rest of them.
Itachi pulled out of Sasuke's mind, tears streaming down his face as he pulled the boy close and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry." He found himself whispering over and over, letting the tears fall as he continued to hug Sasuke, who did not hug him back.
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