"Here lies Fugaku & Mikoto Uchiha
Father and Mother and the leaders of our forgotten Uchiha Clan"
It was a calm day in the Konoha Cemetary. Despite the fact that it was still early in the morning, nature appeared to have retired for the day. The windy trees' whispering, the morning birds' song, and even the wispy clouds above had all come to a halt among the tombs. Perhaps even the Earth's natural forces had come to respect this boy's mourning.
The lone Uchiha teen read the inscription several times. As he peered down at the moss-covered, filthy stone, a pained grimace gripped his face, and his awful memories of that night ran through his head like lightning. On the floor of his own living room, he could still see the shapes of his parents, their lifeless bodies piled on top of each other while the torrent of blood seeped into the deepest cracks in their floorboards. The hatred for his brother settled into his mind once more.
"Sasuke, I got the things you needed." Quanxi gently approached him and handed him a pail of water, a scouring brush, and a ladle. "You're bleeding." The brown-haired boy gazed down at his friend's hand, which he grasped tightly against his body in a fit of wrath, his claws sinking into it.
The Uchiha simply moved his bloody palm towards his eyes, staring at the damage for a minute or two. "Sorry, Quanxi." He muttered underneath his black hood.
"It doesn't matter," He held his palm up to Sasuke's, bestowing the Medical Ninjutsu. "let's just get this done before Orochimaru pesters us."
Some time later
The two ninjas leaped through the trees, just on the outskirts of Konoha; it wasn't exactly the most conventional method they had for travel but in the Leaf's territory they couldn't afford to be careless about escaping. Cloaked in the darkness of the night, the two black hoodied teens seemed invisible to any regular ninja on the ground.
"Sasuke, what were your parents like?" Quanxi asked his friend curiously.
"My parents?" Sasuke looked down a bit, it had only been so long since they left the cemetery that his grief hadn't fully disappeared yet. "Why do you ask?"
"You never really spoke about them before, so when you asked me to help you sneak into the Leaf village to see them I grew curious."
The Uchiha sighed at his friend; the brown-haired boy never did seem to stop asking him about his past. "They were stern. I was expected of so many things, just because Itachi was so talented. Even my own father didn't seem to respect me until I learned the Fire Style Jutsu."
"Do you hate them because of it?"
"No, I respect them for it." The boy looked up at the night's moon to reminisce about the memories flooding into him. "That strict manner of teaching gave me the discipline I needed to become stronger. " He answered honestly.
Sasuke looked happiest talking about his clan in the two years the youths had known each other; everyone there seemed to him to be truly wonderful people. Quanxi envied the protective walls that surrounded that small section of Konoha, creating such a pleasant setting in which to raise a child. Even among the outsiders of the clan, the members of his team who he had to forsake or kill seemed to bring a smile to the raven-haired boy's lips; Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were all once a major part of his heart that he had to abandon to kill his brother. It just made the brown-haired boy wonder as he grew deeper in thought: "Why the hell would Itachi take that all away for no reason?"
"What about you Quanxi? What were your parents like?" The Uchiha asked, taking a look at his friends face.
"Well..." The intimidating term "parents" was used towards him, and it sent a shiver down his spine. With a slight averting of his gaze, the adolescent realized he had no choice but to respond to the interested emo. "They sold me to a Kekkei Genkai trafficking ring when I was four years old because of these twin diamonds on my forehead, so I don't recall anything about them." He unzipped his hood and released the bandages he'd used to cover his mark.
The twin gems were indeed on his forehead, and the black-eyed child stared at them, surprised. He had no idea what they represented and had no idea where to start, but he knew it wasn't a tattoo or a seal because the shape and color were far too unusual to be anything else. "Do you know its meaning?" He wondered.
"Nope. Not a single person had a clue as to what it is." He said flatly, unzipping his jacket a bit more to reveal a beaded chain with a gold symbol on it. "This was the only thing 'my parents' left with me."
The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at the pendent, "It looks similar to the Senju clan's emblem, but half of it is missing?"
"The Senju? In Amegakure?" He glared at his own necklace that laid in the palm of his hand.
"It would explain the naturally obtained Wood Release."
"It's not impossible."
"Someone's here, stop." Sasuke pointed ahead, a glowing portion of the forest lit up in their pathway. "A campfire?"
They'd come a long distance from the Konoha village border, and the hideout they were heading to was now only a few miles away. As the night grew darker with each passing hour on their trip their honed, trained eyes were almost rendered worthless. The Cicadas on the trees snarled loudly, making even their own footsteps silent. Even the faint light within the crease of the trees, which was so well hidden by darkness, nearly missed both of their peripherals. If it hadn't been for Sasuke's Sharingan, the two would have missed the oncoming ambush.
"RASENGAN!" An orange blur passed both their eyes as Quanxi and Sasuke quickly bounced backwards. The surrounding trees bursted into tiny pieces, puffing into a cloud of dust flying into the atmosphere.
They were both taken aback by the blue explosion, and they appeared mildly astonished by the planned ambush. They hopped down to the ground's green, easily feinting the kunai hurled at them. "Naruto?" Under his breath, the Uchiha scoffed at the blond who went through the smoke. "I assumed you were dead, but it appears even Itachi can be incorrect about some things..."
"Naruto? "Are you talking about the one you killed in the Valley?" Quanxi was taken aback. He witnessed this boy's death; Sasuke's arm passed right through his heart, killing him instantaneously. "How...?" he grumbled.
"Sasuke, we've come to eliminate you." A jonin-clad person emerged from the shadows of the trees with two others.
"Just give up; they promised to let you live if you do." A flood of tears streamed down Naruto's cheeks as he pleaded with him. "I'm bringing you back whether you like it or not!" he yelled, not wanting to harm his best friend.
The pink-haired girl standing next to Naruto clasped his hand in agreement; she sobbed for him as well, but avoided looking him in the eyes. "Sasuke..." Under her breath, she cried out to him in a pitiful tone.
"What are your plans, Sasuke?" Quanxi turned to face his friend, his right hand holding a wooden blade with black marks.
The flash of those bright, crimson eyes emerged before Quanxi's eyes once more; the Mangekyo Sharingan glared at Naruto and Sakura's hands. "Isn't it obvious, Quanxi?" The Uchiha drew his Snake Blade slowly and aimed it towards the three shinobi.
"We kill him again."
