Burdened Slave

Chapter 3


Fugaku had counted himself the happiest man alive despite all the tragedies he has endured. He sometimes felt guilty being happy, with a war raging outside his village. Countless comrades dying. That feeling of guilt never lasted for too long, though. First he learns his wife became pregnant. Then he receives a son as a first born. Then he learns his older sister is pregnant. He was looking forward to being an uncle after having become a father.

Just like guilt, though, happiness cannot stay consistent. One day, he had come back from leading some of his best friends to their deaths. It was that day his younger sister, Hana, had placed a young child in his arms. Haru, she said his name was. The son of their older sibling. The sibling that had died two days prior.

Now, a few years later, his first born, Itachi, holding his second born son, tells him that his nephew is headed towards an ancient and powerful beast. Only death could follow from that decision and Fugaku could not let that happen. Not only for Chifuyu, but also as clan head, he could not allow the death of the only Uchiha ever to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan at birth.

He, along with three of his clansmen, stood on top of the wall that surrounded Konoha. A gaping tear in said wall from the Sandaime pushing the titanic beast into the surrounding forest.

They could see the many tails of the fox smashing the land around it. Trees were uprooted and shinobi became blood brethren to said uprooted trees.

A fireball erupted from far beneath the great fox. Dread soon filled Fugaku as he saw Hana execute their clan specialty. Only for it to hit the fox with barely an affect. Hana was thrown into the air as the fox brought one of its tails down near her. Fugaku watched as another tail cut through the air. It would have struck her if not for Haru suddenly appearing over her. Grabbing her in an embrace, the two disappeared.

Fugaku frantically scanned the forest below them and spotted the two reappear in a tree not far from the rampaging beast.

"Go help them!" he barked to the three next to him. "I will help fight the Kyubi."

"Captain?" all three began to protest.

"Go!"

They immediately flickered away.

He then took one look at the fox and closed his eyes. What he was about to do, he could not let the rest of his clan find out. Even more so the village for whom he fought. When he opened his eyes, it was that of dark, slicing blades against red. It was within seconds that he received his chance. With a single muttered word, everything stilled. "Tsukuyomi!"


Everyone decided to follow the Kyubi in its stillness. The night quietened as all nine tails rested on the ground and the fox simply stood. No roaring. No death. Only silence.

"Fugaku," a hand lightly placed on his shoulder. "Thank you,"

Fugaku looked over his shoulder at the blond. He simply grunted in response.

"How long can you hold it?" the man asked.

"Thirty more seconds," Fugaku replied. "Do you have a plan?"

The blond haired man nodded. "Yes, but I have something to tell you first."

"Make it quick!"

"This attack was planned,"

"What?"

"A man with a mask, claiming to be Uchiha Madara summoned the Kyubi,"

"Madara is dead,"

"I know," Minato replied. "But this man had a Sharingan and was able to control the Kyubi."

"I see,"

"Fugaku, others in the village know of the Sharingan's power. If I do not make it back, make sure to tell them about our conversation,"

With that, Minato disappeared into the night and with him he took the Kyubi no Yoko. The forest in front of the Konoha wall filled only with the blood of dying Shinobi. As the seconds flew by, the Kyubi's roar could be heard in the far distance.