Chapter 2: I'm losing control

"Iruka-sensei, it's not that I didn't write the Shinobi saying #25 because I didn't know it. It's just that I don't believe it. "No matter what place... errr, situation... a shinobi must keep the... emotions? Hai. Emotions outside... errr, inside..." But sensei, emotions are what makes us humans. That saying doesn't make any sense. Is that right? Is that right... What? Failed again? Fifth time? No!"

Uzimaki Naruto

Sasuke woke up to the sound of his mother.

"Sasuke, wake up. You have to go training" Her gentle voice warned.

"I'm going, I'm going" he replied lazily.

Sasuke got up really slowly from his bed. Damn it. He had to ask his mother to stop waking him up. He was already a genin, and still his mother didn't allow him to have his own alarm clock.

Still, at least for that time, and only that time, he was glad for hearing his mother urging him to eat a lot "It's the most important meal of the day", because the nightmare had been too real.

Sasuke looked up to his parents. His father was reading the newspaper and his mother was cleaning some plates. Sasuke smiled at that familiar sight. He felt a warm and strong aura coming closer.

"Good morning."

"Morning Itachi." Sasuke looked proudly at his brother, the strongest in the Leaf. His brother "Can you listen to me for a moment? Today I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt that you were a demon that killed the whole Uchiha clan, and I was an avenger that had to kill you"

Itachi smiled. But his smile, always warm, this time was a little more... feral?

"But that couldn't be, brother. Because you are too weak" Just then Sasuke noticed that Itachi was not wearing his normal clothes. He was wearing a black cape with red clouds.

"Brother?" Sasuke asked, just before the stench of death surrounded him. Sasuke turned around, to ask his parents about Itachi. He couldn't ask because they were dead, killed four years ago. Their flesh had rotted already, and only the bones remained. Their empty sockets were looking at him, asking him, accusing him. Why didn't you save us? Why didn't you avenge us?

"No, no" Sasuke pleaded, with guilt, regret, pain, loneliness... Only then he turned to Itachi. Only then he remembered a painful feeling, but a feeling that was far better than those others: Hate, pure, unadulterated hate.

"Brother" Sasuke repeated "I'm going to kill you."

The self-proclaimed Avenger screamed and ran to the older brother, but the gap between them was getting bigger and bigger, no matter how fast he ran.

"Do you want to know why you are weak? It's because your hate is not strong enough. You are worthless" After saying those words Itachi turned around. He was too strong and important to waste time with weaklings.

"Listen to me brother! I'm going to kill you! I'll hate you! I'll hate you so much that nothing will stand between us! And I'll kill you! Do you hear me? I'll kill you!" screamed Sasuke. He was already sinking in the deepest pit. His brother was too far away from him, because his hate was not strong enough.

Sasuke bolted upright from the bed. He was panting, and he was hearing somebody scream. It took him ten seconds, far more than usual, to notice that it was him. He looked around. The room was still in darkness. He switched on the light, and got inside the bed. He made sure that he was completely covered by the blankets. He moved to a fetal position.

"Mum, dad, please believe me. I'll avenge you. I'm sorry. Please, believe, I'll avenge you" he repeated as a mantra until he got asleep again. He had found out that repeating it over and over helped him to clear the mind in those moments. He should know, after he had that kind of nightmares for years after losing his parents. He had been getting a little better, after entering Team 7. But the memories were flooding back after the meeting with his brother.

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Sasuke walked to the bridge with a tired face. But he wasn't the first. Sakura was already there. She too had a tired face. Still, she smiled at him.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun" she said, as she did every day. As if everything was the same as before.

Sasuke was feeling the need to get away. She was so bright that it was hurting him.

"Sakura. What the hell were you thinking the other day?" He asked brusquely.

"The other ..."

"Stepping between Naruto and me. If Kakashi hadn't been there, you would have died, if not by mine, by Naruto's jutsu."

«And that's one of the reasons I have to leave. I can't protect those that are around me.» he mentally added.

"But, but" stammered Sakura "That fight was... wrong. You two are friends. You don't have to fight..."

"Sakura, you don't understand." Sasuke explained "You better pray that you never do."

Sakura looked at him, and he saw her opening his mouth to say something, but somebody else interrupted.

"Sasuke, I want to fight you" A familiar voice announced

Sasuke sighed. He probably was a terrible person in a past life, because he had a really screwed up karma. His whole life trying to focus on his revenge, and bothersome people kept appearing everywhere.

"Sasuke, I want to fight you" Naruto repeated.

"Aa" he answered, looking away. That's was just what he needed, another fight with the idiot. He didn't have the luxury to risk getting hurt. Not when he needed to get out of Leaf

"Sasuke! Let's fight!" yelled Naruto.

"Shut up, idiot I don't feel like fighting today"

"Sasuke. I want to fight. I need to see who is stronger. I want to fight right now."

He too had wanted to see who was stronger. He could relate to that. Some days ago he would have jumped for that, but it was too late.

"Fine. I accept the fight" answered Sasuke, and almost before the face of excitement from Naruto, and the face of horror from Sakura could appear, he continued speaking "Now I forfeit. Naruto, you win by default. Congratulations. You are stronger than me. Tell that to your grandsons and leave me alone.

Hell, anybody would get the hint that he wasn't in the mood to fight, even that idiot. He needed to concentrate on more important things: Escaping from the Leaf and revenge against that man

"Sasuke! Don't ignore me!"

Then again, if Naruto hadn't got the hints that Hinata liked him, nothing sort of spelling it out to him would work

"Sasuke! I am telling you to fight me!"

Sasuke continued paying a lot of attention to the street opposite of where Naruto was standing, but the blond ninja quickly stepped into view.

"Don't ignore me! You coward!"

Something clicked on Sasuke's brain. It could be that he was thinking on Itachi when Naruto appeared in front of him. It could be his frustration of wasting his time there waiting for Kakashi. It could be that insult. But right after Naruto screamed the next thing he knew was that he was jumping against Naruto.

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Naruto at first was just angry. He didn't want to fight Sasuke. He only wanted to be acknowledged by him. He knew that Sasuke had problems, but he was sure that he could cope with them. He wasn't his rival just for his looks. So he stepped in front of him and yelled at him. The next thing he knew was that he was flying, being pushed. And before he could react, he found himself pressed against the wall. And Sasuke was in front of him, pushing him with one arm. The other arm was holding a kunai that was aiming straight to his neck.

"Let me make myself clear. If you utter another word, just another word, I'll kill you" said Sasuke, with the Sharingan activated.

Naruto still opened his mouth to say something. He was going to call Sasuke a bastard. He was going to tell him that he was not scared. He was going to call him again a coward. But then he saw Sasuke's eyes.

They were full of intent to kill. And in that moment he knew it. He knew that he wasn't bluffing. He was really going to kill him. Straight kill. It would be one hit and one-way ticket to heaven. Sasuke's eyes held no doubt or fear. For one of the first times in his life, he didn't know what to say. He couldn't even think.

Sasuke was trembling. He was watching Naruto's neck. "If you want these eyes, you have to kill your best friend" The words repeated themselves over and over in his brain, no matter what he did to shut them off. And yet, it would be so easy. He could do it with just one simple movement with the hand. Just one and... Itachi would be next...

"Sasuke!" said a scared voice. Sakura's

Sasuke got out of his reverie, and violently threw Naruto against the opposite way of the street, away from him.

Sasuke's hands were trembling. He put them in his pockets and looked away. Apparently as if he didn't care. But his hands were trembling. Sasuke tried desperately to calm himself, but he couldn't. What the hell had been that? How could he lose control like that? If Sakura hadn't been there...

Sasuke turned around. Naruto's face was one of shock, surprise, confusion... Sakura's was one of fear. And those faces were hurting him. He tried to apologize, for one second. Then he thought better and he turned around again, back to the contemplation of his shoes.

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"I'm sorry guys, I was on time today, but I discovered a new species, and I had to record it" said jovially Kakashi

Usually Naruto and Sakura would shout at him that he was lying, and Sasuke's usually stoic face would have an expression of annoyance, that would quickly disappear. And with that a new day would start. But today nothing like that happened. Naruto and Sakura were close to each other, stealing some quick glances to the third member of the team, which was apparently very interested in the life of the ants because he was not raising his eyes. The silence was deafening.

"Oh, well. Be happy, while most other jounins are out from the Leaf on missions, I'm still with you. And we have a C mission."

Only that comment would have usually been enough to get yells of happiness from Naruto. But he didn't say a word. It was clear that something had happened while he was away. And it was probably still happening.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Kakashi announced

"Ok, everybody. Follow me, and we will get to the person that is giving us the mission."

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"And that's it. My daughter ran away with that rat she calls her boyfriend. And not only that, but he stole a lot of money from me. I want my money and my daughter back. You are free to do whatever you want to that rat that convinced her to elope with him. But bring both my money and that whore back."

The person that was speaking was Sakui, considered one of the three richest people in the whole village of the Leaf. Still, nobody would think that looking at his old clothes.

"Don't worry about that Sakui-san. We will make sure to retrieve your daughter safely" Kakashi promised

"Don't forget the money" warned Sakui.

"How much money was stolen?" asked suddenly Sasuke

Sakui looked at him with an angry look. It didn't look as if he was going to answer.

"We may need that information" warned Kakashi

Sakui looked at Kakashi, and next back at Sasuke

"More than enough to buy all the Uchiha state, boy" he said "And I don't like the idea of having rookies doing the mission"

Naruto and Sakura jumped at those words, and looked at Sasuke with a careful look, but Sasuke just bowed politely to him.

"I'm a jounin; I'll make sure the mission gets done, Sakui-san" Kakashi assured. He turned to his students "Very well, boys and girl. Let's go."

None of them moved for a second. Then Sasuke started walking. Sakura followed after a brief hesitation. Naruto only after a few seconds.

Kakashi already knew that whatever was happening was related to Sasuke.

He wondered if that was the day he would have to kill his student.