THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
SUMMARY: Being the first to awaken Izanami, Uchiha Naori was destined to save her clan from the Curse of Hatred. Only that she already passed away long before the Uchiha massacre. Fortunately, God has given her a second chance. This time, she lives with a determination to save her clan, no matter what it takes. Not OC.
Author note: English is not my native language so apologize for my grammar mistakes (if any)
This fanfic is written in honor of Uchiha Naori – the only Uchiha female who possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan. This goddess deserves some love
Reviews are really APPRECIATED! *love
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
CHAPTER ONE: THE SAVIORS
"Our feet are planted in the real world, but we dance with angels and ghosts"
Her funeral is one of the rare occasions the Uchiha clan was brought together to mourn. Countless numbers of dark figures stand on parade to pay respects and grieve for her death. Sadness corrupts their inner soul and their heart bleeds a river. Nothing could change the wretchedness they feel over the loss of one of their own, or rather, the only hope to break free from their ancestor's curse.
Uchiha Naori was not a remarkable significant person in her clan. She was strong. Yes, but there were stronger Uchiha. She had the Mangekyou sharingan. Impressive? Yes, but there is her close friend - Naka who exceled in it too. She was a sword master. Not really exciting! Many others have claimed to be the best in the field too. She was kind, honest, and selfless. Even worse! The seniors would tell her these are weak traits that shouldn't be allowed to manifest in the proud warrior clan such as the Uchiha.
Yet there was one thing that made her stand out from the rest: Her ability to wield the Izanami.
Her Izanami was first awoken in the fight against Naka, when she casted an endless loop on him in order for Naka to see the errors of his way and came back to light. As a genjutsu that relied solely on the emotions and memories shared between the caster and its target, Izanami was created not to attack the enemy, but ironically to be used on a friend who lost their way as a means of helping them break free from the infamous Curse of Hatred. She has successfully brought Naka back to his senses using this non-lethal method, not without a price though, as Naori has lost one of her eyes in the process.
Ever since then, Naori's power can never be the same, and she soon succumbed to her death by selflessly covering for one of her friends from an enemy's attack.
"Selfless till the very end huh? Stupid Naori…"
Naka was one of the first to lay down flower to her grave. He muttered under his breath in a half sad, half vehement tone. The man reminded himself of the terrible scene in which he found her body. Torn and battered, her only remaining eye was already stolen from its socket. They didn't even let his poor friend die in peace.
Naka's knuckle turns white, and instead of tears, blood was unconsciously flowing from his eyes.
In a swift of moment, his pupils turn into a three-point pinwheel to reveal his Mangekyou sharingan as he swears to take revenge in her stead.
Standing only three feet away from the antagonistic Naka, Naori, or rather, her soul, sighs deeply as she witnesses her best friend's determination for vengeance over her death. She doesn't need her sharingan to know what his revenge could lead him to. Sorrow, pain, anger, madness, and eventually death. Another pointless stupid death added to the ever-growing list which is already full of Uchiha names. Only this time she wouldn't be there to snap her best friend out of his anger.
Naori closes her eyes, ignores the pain aching in her heart and let the fair wind take her away. She was already dead, buried 6 feet under, but at least her soul is free. Free from the Curse, free from the stupid eyes that her clansmen are so proud of. Un best-known to many people, Naori is proud, but not fond of her Sharingan, as she fears the consequences of using them far exceed their own advantage.
But now she's free from all the burdens her ability has brought upon her.
Naori is tired of it all. She has done her best to save her friends from their own demise, even lost her life in the process. Now it's up to them to figure the way. Naori can only hope in the near future there will exist an Uchiha who would be able to awaken Izanami and save their clan in her stead.
Days grow into week, weeks turn into month, then years and years have passed. Yet Naori's soul still lingers in the Uchiha residence, watching her clansmen participating daily activities, training, fighting, or plotting against the Village – their favorite hobby she'd assumed.
She has watched Naka die, surprisingly, by one of his equally lunatic comrades instead of the enemies. Naori didn't even bat an eye when he screamed in agony as the sword etched into his heart, ending his miserable life. Death must have done something to her sanity too. Since she was dead after all, she doesn't see other people's death as relevant or heart wrecking anymore.
Naori just wonders why none of them stays on Earth like she did. All of their souls have vanished into a tunnel of light which appeared shortly after their death. She has tried to enter too, as the Uchiha woman was clearly aware that those tunnels must have led to heaven, but to no avail. She was always rejected and teleported right back to her "former" home. Naori gave up after a few unsuccessful attempts, now fully content with floating around watching with mild interest the noisy and lively village.
The ghost has also witnessed the birth of the clan's new generations too. Young, strong and full of promise. Then one by one have fallen into their own pit of darkness, all for various different reasons.
One of the most distinguishable is Obito. The young boy who was so bright and would soon become a fearsome shinobi in the future, has turned into a petty crazy antagonist over the loss of his long-time crush. Naori was so disappointed when she found his hideout and saw his current mental state. She has expected the boy to be better than this, as she realizes the resilience and determination dwell deep inside Obito's pure heart. Obito should have been the savior in her place, being the first Uchiha Hokage and all, instead of becoming an entity who would bring downfall upon his own clan.
The Uchiha whines loudly as she floated from place to place, unable to accept the painful truth. She has taken Obito's fall into darkness the hard way, losing all hopes in the birth of another Uchiha "savior".
As the way they're progressing now, it'd be in no time until her proud clan is completely annihilated, either by themselves, or by their own Village's leader.
It was not until Naori saw another ray of hope, which takes form of the certain Uchiha Shisui, that she abandoned her sullen state to follow and dote on the boy instead. Unlike Obito, who was a complete dead-last underdog among his peers. Uchiha Shisui is a genius, perhaps one of the most talented shinobi her clan ever produced. The boy has earned his position as Jounin at the age of 11, and eventually a captain of his own squad. However, what attracted Naori to the boy is not only his tremendous talent, but his kindness and devotion to both his clan and the village – a rare trait that would one day undoubtedly saves thousands of lives.
Unfortunately, no matter how talented, perceptive and mature Shisui is, he is still a young boy. And a young boy is no match in a battle of wits against a much older, slyer, and deceitful phony such as Danzo.
Naori has already sensed something was off with the bastard a long time ago. Ironically, the ANBU Root Leader both despises and obsesses with Uchiha's power. Instead of complying with the Third's plan, Danzo fooled the boy with dirty tricks and steal Shisui's eyes for his own benefits.
Naori knows it all, yet she could do nothing but watched in horror as the young boy took out his remaining eye and fall into the Nakano river, sacrificed himself for the sake of the Village.
Her last ray of hope was dead and gone once again.
Naori doesn't realize that she has started crying. Her calm and cool exterior disappeared as she weeps for the young boy's death, for his shattered dream, and for her clan too. After all these long years of wandering as a ghost, Naori has realized the boy was her clan's last hope. His death would be the last straw which ultimately leads to the clan's extermination.
At the corner of her eye, Naori could sense the intense grief and determination radiated from Shisui's cousin – Uchiha Itachi. Upon the death of his best friend, Itachi has also awakened his Mangekyo sharingan as well.
Naori is certain what the younger boy would choose. Itachi is similar, yet so different from Shisui. Itachi would choose peace over his own clansmen, his family, love and happiness. He'd rather choose to sacrifice those precious to him than to start the war, which is something both Shisui and Naori would never agree to.
Perhaps years from now on, people will write about how the mighty Uchiha has fallen in their own demise. Killed by the hands of its own people.
"Are you perhaps the angel who's always watching me?"
Shisui's teasing voice suddenly comes from behind, startles her. Naori immediately stops her crying to raise her head at his direction.
The young boy, or to be more precise, his soul is standing in front of her. His eyes are already back to where they belong and his wounds have healed. A new soul, pure and bright and unscathed. Naori is surprised to find the boy didn't disappear immediately, though she already sees the tunnel of light slowly emerged behind him, eagerly waiting for him to enter.
Noticing that Naori is too busy staring in shock to reply him, Shisui asks again as he scratches his head nervously. "I'm sorry but…may I ask why are you crying?"
Naori stares in confusion as she wipes her sleeves over her damp eyes. She asks, in a harsher tone than she'd intended. Naori can't help it. It's been 40 years since she has had an actual conversation.
"Why are you still here? You should have gone into that tunnel the moment you died."
He grins sheepishly, his cheeks slowly turned pink. "Yes, I should. But the sight of your crying stopped me. I mean…I always wonder who was the woman appeared in my dream and followed me around. I just didn't expect she's this beautiful."
Naori gasps incredulously, but for a completely different reason than Shisui'd expected.
"You can see me even when you're alive? What are you? An exorcist?"
Shisui sighs at the obliviousness the strange woman is demonstrating. He can feel the tunnel is pulling him back, with such force clearly indicating it is becoming impatient.
The young boy takes the last look at his cousin's direction – Itachi is already leaving, his back slumped slightly, as if there was something heavy resting on it. "I'm sorry…" Shisui sadly whispers, as his cousin disappears from his sight.
Seeing the gloomy look written all over her favorite boy's face, Naori stops her confused train of thought to bid him a proper farewell. Shisui needs to leave for heaven soon, unless he wants to be trapped on Earth forever like her. Naori taps his shoulder gently, giving him her best reassuring smile.
"As a soul, we're no longer able to interfere with the world of the living, Shisui. You have done more than enough. Now it's time to rest!"
The young boy snaps his head around to see her. His cheeks turn even redder at her sudden gesture. As he fells the strong tug at his shirt to yank him into the tunnel, he yelps.
"Wait a minute, may I know your name?"
Naori blinks in surprise, but smiles and tells him anyway. It feels strange saying it again, as it has been so long since she last muttered her name. "My name is Naori. Uchiha Naori!"
Shisui's eyes instantly widen at the sudden realization hit him like a rock.
As the first and only user of Izanami, her name is well known within the clan, plus she's technically his ancestor. Naori couldn't hide her amusement when the boy stares at her in disbelief. His mouth opens and closes in a struggle to form another question before his body being completely trapped in the tunnel. In a swift of a moment, both the tunnel and the boy vanish into thin light.
"Good luck, Shisui! I hope in another life, you would have a happy ending…"
Naori whispers, as she gazes into the dark clear sky above, with the moon riding gloriously on her course. She let herself fall from the balcony, and slowly floats away down the fathomless depth below the Nakano river.
