With the clan now safely hidden, I set to work with the rest of my plan. I placed Obito under my Tsykuyomi, tricking him into believing that he was slaughtering his own clan by the dozens, then waited for Itachi to show also. Everywhere in the compound I had scattered already dead bodies I had gathered and dressed in Uchiha attire ready to convince Sasuke of what had happened, using gallons and gallons of animal blood which I had splashed decoratively up the walls and inside of houses in order to continue with the realistic illusion.
The bodies I had been gathering ready for weeks, collecting them from far and wide in places such as hospitals, prisons and all other places I could find them. Each had the appearance of an Uchiha, with dark hair and eyes, I followed through with my deception ensuring that a single detail was not left unattended. Although there were not quite enough bodies to warrant an entire clan, there was enough. Hardest of all had been dealing with the children's bodies, but I had forced myself to stomach it, keeping all of them from decaying with specialised medic ninjutsu in order to maintain their forms.
Sensing Itachi nearby, I moved with all the speed I possessed, flickering into life directly before him where my Tsykuyomi passed him into a dream where he then began to move as if he were awake, slicing his sword and killing all in his path. I followed behind him quietly, watching in sadness at the mournful expression he wore. "Itachi…" More than once I wanted to reach out and console him but I had to keep myself back, knowing that I could not break the illusion.
Since neither he nor Obito were aware that what they were seeing was not reality, I was able to fool them. Having perfected my genjutsu in such a short amount of time with nearly ten thousand years' worth of practice, there were absolutely no flaws for them to spot to trigger the realisation that they were simply under a genjutsu. When Sasuke returned from his late night practice, I listened to his horrified cries as he entered the compound to find blood and bodies everywhere.
The darkness helped to convey the illusion, though with the fake bodies of his parents, I had taken extra pains to ensure that the bodies looked as life like as possible, enough so to fool Sasuke when he looked inside. Biting down on my tongue as Sasuke screamed, I remained hidden in the shadows whilst masking my chakra, observing as Itachi loomed over his younger brother as he attempted to escape, playing the role as the emotionless traitor perfectly.
"Why? Why did you do this?!" Sasuke was barely holding himself together though he was laying upon the ground, completely overcome by the genjutsu Itachi had placed upon him.
"To test my own strength. I wanted to discover how powerful you were, I needed to find a worthy opponent to test the limits of my own abilities." Itachi answered him without malice or coldness, merely toneless which was more chilling to hear than had he been laughing with cruelty. "Now you have the desire to defeat me, which is exactly why I'm going to allow you to live." Sasuke was almost sobbing, tears gathering ready to spill at his eyes as his grief and rage activated his own Sharingan, causing his dark eyes to burst into a deep crimson.
I continued to listen as Itachi challenged Sasuke to also activate his own Mangekyo Sharingan before daring to come and face him for revenge, hinting that there were others who had also sacrificed their closest friends in order to receive the power of a fully awakened Sharingan. Never did I move until Itachi had turned away, using my ocular powers to activate the final stage of the genjutsu so that Itachi now faced an image of myself.
"Tachi-kun…" With sadness and dressed in a plain white gown, I faced Itachi in his own mind. He had hesitated only for a moment before reaching for his sword once more, facing me down without feeling.
"Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to live, Miyuki. There just is not room enough in this world for more than one ultimate Uchiha!" I was surprised with the angle he chose for his reasoning to kill me, but I did not question it. I merely had my illusion battle against Itachi so that I held him off the longest, using all of my supposed 'strength' before ultimately being trapped by Itachi against a tree whereby he then drove his sword directly through the illusion's heart. I flinched, almost feeling the same sensation as I recalled how Sasuke's sword had felt when it had pierced me before. "Miyuki…" From where I was hidden, I could hear him sobbing, Sasuke already having passed out.
From where my fake self hung from the tree in death, Itachi was cradling my face and quietly mourning over me. His fingers tenderly brushed aside my hair and he even drew his weapon free in order to lay the body upon the ground, cupping the illusion's cheek and dropping his head onto her chest for a few moments to gather himself once more. At least I knew that were I to die, he would regret my death as painfully as he would his own parents. It was not exactly comforting to know that he could kill me if he were forced to as he had been, but it was all an illusion, and I knew that he had had no other choice.
Cloaked in shadows, I inflicted injuries upon myself to indicate I had been in a battle, holding nothing back as I stabbed myself with kunai knives and a sword, slashing my cheek and casting myself repeatedly against a solid tree at full velocity to bruise my body and even crack a few ribs. It was agonising work, but as I had said. I was exceedingly thorough when it came to my deception, and everything had gone to plan. Itachi was now gone, and Sasuke and I were all that were left.
The blood loss immediately got to me so I grasped at my side and dragged myself over to Sasuke, forcing myself to keep on breathing until I had reached him, whereby I then placed my arm over him and protectively lay over his body to keep him safe. He was my responsibility again, and this time I will do a better job of it. I will protect you now, Sasuke, so you do not need to fear anything. One day, you may take all of your anger and hate towards Itachi, and turn it upon me. I will suffer it all for deceiving you and causing you both pain. I do not mind at all…
"Rescue anyone who is still alive!" My focus jarred slightly as I heard the Third Hokage's voice not too far away, and then felt a presence as a female ANBU agent landed beside Sasuke and I.
"There are two survivors here!" Suddenly I sensed someone else who was both alien and familiar to me. Kakashi Hatake. I had known him even less in this life than I had in the one I had dreamed, but still he came to my side and surveyed us both as Lord Third gave the order for us to be taken to the Medical Unit.
"This one may not make it. She is badly wounded." He warned, lifting his hand to warn his fellow ANBU agent off as he pulled me away from Sasuke. "Best take him, I'll bring her." However, in the numbness of my mind, all I could understand was that they were trying to take Sasuke away from me. My fist clenched and I swung it blindly, catching Kakashi's mask and knocked it clean off as he blinked at me in shock, my teeth bared as I struggled to even focus, grasping onto Sasuke with my other hand tightly as a kunai trembled in my hand.
"You…can't…have…him…" I was so disorientated from the blood loss that I could hardly make sense of my own voice, trying to warn them that if anyone dared to hurt Sasuke that I would kill them all.
"Easy, easy! You're going to kill yourself if you move too much!" Ignoring the fact that his mask had been removed from his face, Kakashi quickly grabbed hold of my kunai wielding hand and supported me with his arm, lifting me up slightly. "It's alright now. You're safe." Scowling at him slightly, I tried to hang on a little longer but I could not manage it, now too weak from the injuries I had inflicted upon myself. The wound to my chest was the worst, having aimed for my heart and deliberately missing. Each wound had been precariously placed in order to suggest that I had only barely survived, which I did.
It was only thanks to the genius of the medic ninja that I lived, and a portion of my own sheer willpower to continue living in order to accomplish all that I intended to do. When I awoke, I was glad that Sasuke had been placed in a bed within the same room next to me, immediately comforting my fears. Rising up, I winced as my chest ached from the movement but otherwise ignored it, getting up and pulling on a long white robe that had been brought for me from my own home. Had someone been there for me? I do not know, neither do I care.
The soft silk was a glorious sensation against my skin as I pulled my hair free and allowed it to tumble down my back, going to Sasuke's side and feeling his brow to check his temperature. There was a slight fever, but otherwise he seemed alright. "Sasuke-kun." Leaning down I kissed him on the forehead, moving carefully on account of my injuries before straightening.
"Oh? Up and awake already? I underestimated you Miyuki-chan." Lord Minato said as he appeared from nowhere, looking at me gently. "You should not push yourself, you survived a terrible ordeal."
"I was prepared for it." I murmured, turning my head away in order to go to the window. At first Minato was surprised but he quickly guarded his expression.
"You knew that Danzo would give the order for the Uchiha Clan to be eradicated?" Silently, I nodded. "Why did you not warn any of us? Not even your own clan?"
"Because it is true. Their loyalty to the Leaf had dwindled, and they would have caused nothing but bloodshed. It is a difficult truth to accept, but a truth all the same. My only regret, is that you sent an Uchiha to kill us." Steeling my resolve, I turned on Minato with a glower of darkness. "You could not even send your own black ops to do your dirty work? Worse still, you could not keep Danzo Shimura in check. I had to witness my own clan's downfall in my dreams, and then see it in reality. Sasuke and I…we were the only ones who were permitted to live by fate."
"Miyuki. You promised you would come to me should you see anything about the future that would have proven instrumental to the maintaining of peace."
"This was instrumental, Lord Fourth, and my silence required it to remain so." Grasping at my head, I almost wanted to rip out my own eyes and crush them with my hands. "I did not ask for this, I did not ask for any of this. Everyone I knew is gone, my parents, Itachi, everyone…and…and only I know the truth. I cannot tell Sasuke, only you and the Elder Council know, but I cannot trust them…I do not even know who I can trust anymore…Lord Minato…I'm going mad…it hurts, it hurts it hurts it hurts!" Just as my eyes and mind had reached boiling point, the point where I thought everything would burst into a painful array of fire and anguish, a cooling sensation tempered the flames and brought me back from the oblivion of infinite knowledge.
Mother…father…Shisui. Everyone. No, you are not gone, I should not allow myself to think such a way, merely act like it. You are all here and you are safe with me. I promised I will protect you, and protect you I shall. "Miyuki?" Drawing my hands away from my face, I looked back at Minato with an exhausted expression, one I did not have to fake.
"I am sorry, Lord Minato, but you cannot save everyone. If I am powerless in this, then you have no hope. Please, just leave this be, and trust that it was for the best. I shall care for Sasuke now, and I shall be the one to deal with the truth when it comes into the light. I shall be the one to bear all the atrocities this village will face. I will carry their grief and their anger, I will be the one who accepts all the hatred in the world for being unable to save everyone, and that shall be my own fate." Lord Minato looked to me with sad understanding, coming closer in order to brush aside a length of my hair.
"You should not have to do this."
"It is my duty as a shinobi. My work will keep me in the shadows, whereas the light will be for others who will shine radiantly like never before." Thinking of Naruto and Sasuke, I looked over to where he was sleeping and smiled. "Lord Fourth, I regret that I must temporarily retire from my life as a ninja. I must dedicate myself to raising Sasuke, who will need me now more than ever. If ever there is a mission that requires my attention, I shall let you know, and when the time is right, I will be at your full disposal once more."
"Then…we are to have peace?" Forcing myself to meet his handsome face, I nodded my head.
"Yes. A fragile peace, but peace all the same. For now."
