Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Kimetsu no Yaiba. If I do, I would be filthy stinking rich.
Chapter 2: Uchiha Itachi
"Oh, so that is his name," Shinobu stated as the title floated in front of them. How is this possible Otsutsuki-san?" The Insect Hashira asked with her usual cheery voice. Which didn't go unnoticed by the Hashiras.
"Leave it to Shinobu-san to remain level headed despite the current situation." Mitsuri thought in admiration seeing Shinobu ask the pale-eyed man. A man who is currently the strongest being they have ever encountered. "At least I know for sure nothing will happen to us so long as he is here."
"Well to put it simply, I'm doing this for my own research. You see, I came to this planet expecting it to thrive in chakra. Now imagine my surprise to see the inhabitants of this planet barely even using it." The pale-eyed man answered casually.
"What do you mean by Planet Otsusuki-san? Also, what is this chakra that you are talking about?" Kyojuro couldn't help but ask. His usual energetic voice somehow subdued. At this point, instead of getting answers, questions are piling up. One answer breeding two more questions.
"A planet is basically, a chunk of rock floating in space. And its inhabitants people like you, Kyojuro. Though I wouldn't expect any of you to get that." Shiki answered condescendingly.
"That really doesn't tell us much." The flame Hashira thought in annoyance.
"Also, chakra basically a human's is life force. It is basically physical and spiritual energy combined into one. Let me ask you a question. How is it that people like you, who aren't demons can leap great distances, have incredible strength, agility and reflexes?"
"The Hashira's have trained themselves to death, it would only be natural for us to gain these physical attributes!" The flame hashira retorted, in full belief that he was right. He refused to believe it was something else. Meanwhile, Urokodaki was deep in thought.
"All of these questions did not come from nothing. This man knows but he won't give us a straight answer." Urokodaki has encountered many strange things in the past, but this is the first time he was in a situation like this. Meeting a being capable of manhandling the strongest demon in existence like a child.
"Careful there human." The Otsutsuki warned, with a smile on his face betraying the annoyance in his voice. Nobody was fooled by the smile as the room suddenly dropped a few temperatures, an invisible force suffocating the room with the humans including Muzan starting to shiver.
Nezuko in particular, gripped the hem of Tanjiro's clothes, while Zenitsu almost passing out in shock. Inosuke's normally brash behavior gone as he stood frozen in fear.
"You're gonna get us killed!" Sanemi thought furiously as he subtly gripped the handle of his blade. Despite knowing that he was hopelessly outclassed, he refused to go down without a fight. Before he could anything that might offend the pale man even further, a hand gripped his shoulder.
It was Shinobu, her normal cheerful expression replaced with fear and uncertainty, stopping Sanemi in his tracks.
"My deepest apologies!" Rengoku dropped down, prostrating himself in front of the man, his face pale and sweaty. "What was I thinking?! Angering the most powerful being we have ever encountered?!" The flame hashira thought, gritting his teeth.
The rest of the humans, was about to bow down in to beg for Kyojuro's life. With Muzan still reeling in shock at the casual show of power. "This settles it, this man is much more powerful than me in my current form. It doesn't matter if I can regenerate if he can keep killing me over and over. I just have to survive this ordeal and obtain an even higher form. That way, I can come back and kill this man for his transgressions upon me." The demon plotted on his head, his sheer ego and arrogance the only thing stopping him from almost kneeling in fear.
"That's fine. No need to be so uptight. Just don't forget who is in charge here. Now let us get back to business. I'm quite confident that you will find the answers you seek." Shiki dismissed, making the humans sigh in relief.
"We must not anger this man, lest we all die." Shinobu thought gravely, recognizing the power this pale eyed man has over them. "Atleast I get to see him in fear." Shinobu's eyes landed on Muzan, and smirked. Muzan's eyes shone with fury but held himself, lest he get decimated by the Otsutsuki.
"Amazing Brother"! The young boy exclaimed as Itachi stood up from his current position. "You even got a bullseye on the target behind the rock!"
"Alright! I can do it too!" The young boy declared as he readied his own kunai.
"So in this is Tomioka-san's brother in his past life. He is so cute!" The Love Hashira gushed, seeing the boy bond with his brother.
Giyu promptly ignored her as he turned to Urokodaki, his calm expression betraying his disbelief.
"What do you think about this Urokodaki-dono?" Giyu asked with his usual calm voice.
"It appears that the people of this era is training child soldiers. Notice how young the brother is." The masked man said, while the rest of the humans were surprised. While training at a young age wasn't new to them, raising child soldiers is still a bit much.
"How did you come up with that, Urokodaki-san?" Zenitsu asked, still hiding behind his boar headed friend.
"Let's just continue watching" Urokodaki answered.
"Just what is this man trying to show us?" Urokodaki's eyes narrowed behind his mask as he stared at the pale man. "For someone this powerful to pop out all of a sudden."
"Sasuke, let's head home in a minute."
The younger brother pouted in indignation.
Everyone ignored the squeals coming from the Love Hashira as they try to focus on the scene.
"But you said you'd teach me a new shuriken technique!" Sasuke replied in annoyance as Itachi smiled in amusement.
"I have a bit of an important mission tomorrow, so I have to prepare."
"Itachi-san at this point looks young. Like 13 or younger. I wonder what kind of missions he has to take at this age." Shinobu voiced her thoughts, which was also shared by the rest of them. Muzan in particular was interested in the strange eyes Itachi possessed.
"I wonder what kind of benefits those eyes give you." He thought in wonder.
"Brother, you liar." Sasuke huffed.
Itachi just smiled and motioned for Sasuke to come over. Which made Sasuke grin in excitement. He ran towards Itachi only for him to poke Sasuke in the forehead.
"Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time, okay?"
The scene then shifted to Itachi carrying Sasuke behind his back.
"Why is it that the one who hurt his leg is laughing?"
Itachi noted Sasuke's cheerful demeanor.
"Could it be that you did it on purpose so I'd piggyback you home?"
"It's not that, it's just I'm happy about starting at the academy tomorrow. Now I might be able to catch up with you a little." Sasuke jauntily replied while Itachi's eyes narrowed, deep in thought.
"This is so beautiful!" Mitsuri squealed seeing the brother display. "I wonder, if Tomioka-san have a brother in this lifetime. Would their interactions be the same?" She wondered out loud, as the water hashira remained silent. Remembering the days he spent with his older sister.
"Itachi…" Giyu noted that it was strange to address someone who was him a long time ago. He does not consider Itachi and him as the same person, Itachi was merely a life he lived once upon a time. He distinctly remember the opening line he said before this scene. "I don't know your current situation, or why you called your brother foolish but you better protect him."
Urokodaki however did not miss the shift in Itachi's face. "That's not a face someone young should be making."
"Young Sasuke mentioned an academy, are kids their age trained in combat this early?" The masked man made his thoughts known as the rest of the humans turned to him.
"I'm pretty sure it not that different from the training I got when I was younger Urokodaki-san." Zenitsu learned that this man was Tanjiro's mentor, so he made sure to be respectful as possible. "I mean gramps trained me at a young age too, I'm pretty sure it's the same as that."
"Maybe, but that remains to be seen." Shinobu spoke up. "Itachi-san at this point couldn't look older than 13, and so far I have not seen any childish behavior whatsoever. So for now, let's continue shall we?" The Insect Hashira aimed her smile towards Zenitsu, who blushed furiously.
"Y-yes Ma'am!"
The scene shifts, to Itachi kneeling in front of a robed man with an uncannily familiar white porcelain mask.
"Urokodaki-san!" Tanjiro gasped. "Look at the mask! Doesn't it look like one of yours?"
"Yes, it is so." Urokodaki answered back. "While the mask is not exactly common, it is still a bit odd seeing the resemblance." Memories of his two students who died from The Hand Demon years ago playing in his mind. "Do these masks hold any significance?"
"Itachi, are you prepared?"
The masked individual said in a rough voice.
"If you're not prepared, we'll do it ourselves."
"No, please wait." Itachi said with a hint of desperation. However, the masked man was not so considerate.
"Once things start moving, it will be too late. This is a very urgent matter."
"I know." Itachi replied with resignation. "I'll settle this with my own hands."
"What are they talking about, Otsutsuki-san?" The flame Hashira turned to the pale eyed man. So far they are not getting anything substantial, instead the questions keep on increasing.
"Hey, don't ask me. I do not know either. Why do you think I wanted to view the history of your past lives? I do that by tracing your ancestry, this planet's history is unknown to me either." Shiki shrugged.
"Um…" A meek voice asked out.
"What is it?" Shiki turned to the voice, which turned out to be Mitsuri Kanroji who let out a squeak at being called out.
"I just wanted to ask what is this planet you are talking about." Mitsuri sheepishly asked, which made Shiki roll his eyes.
"Like I said, it's a hunk of rock floating in space." Seeing the blank looks on everyone's faces including Muzan, the pale eyed man threw his hands in the air in annoyance. "Oh whatever just keep watching. If I keep on explaining every single thing, we will be here for a long time."
The scene shifts Itachi's household. With Itachi sitting in front of his parents.
"What?!" A voice roared. "You know what day it is tomorrow! You don't understand the position you're in!" The man in front of Itachi voiced his disapproval.
"Eh? So this is Itachi's parents huh?" Tanjiro said. "I can definitely see the resemblance."
"Forget that." Sanemi butted in. "I can definitely see Tomioka in this guy. With the attitude and all that." He grunted, letting his opinion known.
"I'm going on a mission tomorrow." Itachi spoke in a blank voice.
"What kind of mission?" His father asked, his voice still raised high.
"I can't say. It's a top secret mission."
"A top secret mission?" Shinobu blinked. "At this age? That's odd. I wonder what kind of top secret mission that is?" She remarked with a hint of mocking directed at Giyu who only stared back at her blankly.
"Well whatever that mission is, if this guy is anything like him." The boar headed teen pointed to Giyu. "Then I bet it's pretty awesome." Inosuke couldn't hide the respect from his voice, which surprised Tanjiro and Zenitsu.
Giyu didn't show it, but he was a bit flattered.
His father was having none of it, and replied in a much more deeper tone. "Itachi, your priority is to serve as the connection between the clan and the village. You do understand that, right?"
"Yes."
"Keep that in mind then, and come to the meeting tomorrow!"
"See? It's that important." For the first time in that day Giyu bit back at the Insect Hashira, with a bit of smugness in his voice which did not went unnoticed by Shinobu.
A vein popped in her forehead despite of the smile she has. "Oh? That remains to be seen."
"Now, save your banter for later, Kocho, Tomioka." Kyojuro acted as the mediator and prevented any unnecessary bickering from escalating.
The scene shifts to Itachi and Sasuke sitting outside of their house.
"Dad only cares about you." Sasuke said dejectedly.
"Do you hate me?" Itachi surprisingly asked, with a bit of melancholy in his face.
"I wonder what kind of relationship they have that made him ask that question. From what we have seen earlier, they get along well." The pink haired teen spoke.
"I have a feeling. And I am sure the answer to your question will arrive sooner." Urokodaki answered, while the rest keep on watching.
Muzan however has different thoughts.
"I wonder what would happen if I do the same to this family as I did to the boy with the Hanafuda earrings." Muzan smiled sinisterly.
Sasuke's eyes widened but immediately looked down not capable of answering his older brother's question.
"It doesn't matter. After all, being hated is just part of what it means to be a shinobi."
"Itachi is really mature for his age huh." Tanjiro observed.
"Too bad that's not how he is right now." Shinobu couldn't help but fire back.
Giyu didn't raise to the bait. His eyes remained locked to the scene.
"That's not how…"
Itachi just smiled warmly at Sasuke. "Being skilled isn't all it's made out to be. When you're strong, you become arrogant and withdrawn. Even if what you sought after was your dream. You and I are unique brothers."
"And there it is." Urokodaki suddenly said. "I believe young Sasuke does not hate his brother, but is rather envious of him and his skills. This is typical between brothers when one is astronomically stronger than the other. There is always the case of favoritism."
"Oh. So that's how it is." The love Hashira confirmed in realization. As did the others.
Sasuke just listened quietly.
"And even if I end up just becoming an obstacle you need to overcome, I'll always be there for you. Even if you end up hating me. That's what big brothers are for."
A sniff could be heard, and everyone else turned to the sound. It was Mitsuri, who had a bit of tears in her eyes.
"That was just beautiful!" She exclaimed. "This brotherly relationship is too beautiful!"
The humans were silent as they keep on watching, they really couldn't disagree with her.
Shinobu in particular was silent, the memories of her sister in their better days played in her mind. She could not help but see themselves in
Itachi and Sasuke's place.
Muzan was silent as he sneered at the human girl. "Disgusting. These human emotions are nothing but repulsive."
A sound of the door opening could be heard as a rough voice called out. "Is Itachi here? Get out here, we need to talk."
"Why are you all here?" Itachi asked with an even tone. The three men infront of him almost sneered but held themselves back.
"Who are these people?" Kyojuro said. "They are wearing the same Insignia as Itachi does."
"They may belong to the same organization." Urokodaki answered back.
"Only two people didn't show up for last night's meeting." One of them addressed.
"Why didn't you show up?" The other clansmen spoke up, with suspicion in his voice.
Itachi didn't say a word, as he silently stared them down.
"We get that you've been busy with ANBU, and your father keeps telling us the same thing, stating that he's watching over you. But we don't plan on treating you differently because of that."
"ANBU?" Zenitsu asked. "What does that mean?"
"It literally means Darkside." Urokodaki answered with narrowed eyes behind his mask.
"Well, isn't that a rather ominous sounding job." In normal circumstances, Shinobu might have made a dig towards GIyu, but this time she can sense the seriousness of the situation. She really could not deny anymore the importance of this, being backed up by solid evidence. "What kind of job is someone so young doing?"
She thought out loud, which was ironically shared by everyone else barring Muzan. He does not care for this, but rather what secrets he may unveil.
Itachi just sighed, as he contemplated on what to say. "Then I'll be more careful from now on. Now, I must ask you to leave."
"I guess that's fine." One of them replied. "But before that, there's something we'd like to ask you. It's regarding the suicide drowning of Uchiha Shisui in the Nakano River last night."
Itachi's eyes turned into a glare, with one of the three men narrowing in suspicion.
"If my memory serves me right, you looked up to him as if he was your own big brother, didn't you?"
"Wait." Zenitsu suddenly cut off. "Is Itachi-san being suspected?"
"Seems like it." The Water Hashira answered in monotone voice.
"I don't understand, didn't they say it was suicide?" The blonde teen asked further.
"Hey twerp." A growl from behind made Zenitsu freeze. "How about we just watch the scene eh?" It was Sanemi, who was glaring at Zenitsu.
"Y-yes." Zenitsu whimpered.
Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, Itachi then replied. "Is that so? I really haven't seen him at all recently. It's unfortunate."
"So we, at the police force, decided to launch an all-out investigation."
"Investigation?" Itachi asked. One of the clansmen hands Itachi a note.
"This is the note Shisui left behind. The handwriting analysis shows that it's definitely his."
"If there is no sign of murder, then why are you investigating?" The young Uchiha said as he receives the note.
"To someone with a Sharingan, it would be easy to mimic his handwriting perfectly. He was one of the most talented members of the Uchiha, and was feared as Shisui of the Mirage."
"So that's what its called." Urokodaki voiced out.
"What are you talking about Urokodaki-san?" Asked the Insect Hashira, with a subtle confusion in her voice.
"The red eyes that we saw earlier." Giyu answered in Urokodaki's behalf. "It's called Sharingan. And it appears that these eyes grant a semblance of mimic. As what these men said."
"Sharingan." Muzan mused. "I wonder what these eyes can do."
"I wonder what kind of skill this Shibui has to be called that though." The boar headed teen piped in. "He has to have done something great."
Tanjiro sighed. "Looks like Inosuke still has not move on from his habit of getting names wrong."
"It's Shisui. And yes, I wonder about that too."
"So far, we have not seen anything remotely impressive from these people." The Wind Hashira cut in. "I have to see them in action myself or I won't believe a single thing they say. Until then, this Shisui of the Mirage is nothing but an empty title." He said in a stubborn manner.
"Well, hopefully you'll see him in action soon Sanemi-san." The pink haired teen replied, which made the Wind Hashira huff in return.
"I wouldn't underestimate these people if I were you." Urokodaki answered back. "So far we have seen a glimpse of Itachi's skills. It would not surprise me if these people are as strong as they claim." The masked Hashira deduced, years of wisdom teaching him not to judge a book by its cover.
Sanemi scowled but said nothing back.
"He was the kind of guy that would do any kind of mission for the clan."
"So they are not an organization, but a clan." Urokodaki said.
"Is it possible that they all have the Sharingan?" Tanjiro asked his mentor. Nezuko tilting her head in curiosity.
"It is." Urokodaki replied.
Itachi was silent, as he read the suicide note Shisui left behind.
I've grown tired of my duties.
There is no future for the Uchiha, nor for me.
I cannot walk the "path" any longer.
"Those words doesn't really sound good." Kyojuro suspected. "It doesn't look like a typical suicide note. It stems deeper than that."
"Makes you wonder, just what kind of stress he went into that he killed himself. I mean it is safe to assume that Shisui-san isn't far older than Itachi-san at this age." Shinobu added her own input.
Giyu just narrowed his eyes in thought. "Itachi, just what kind of life did you live?"
"I'm not buying that a guy like him would leave something like this behind and commit suicide just like that." The man raised his voice, his disdain no longer hidden.
Itachi considered what to say, but there was no apt way on how to convey his feeling on the matter. "It is not wise to judge others based on your preconceptions and by their appearances." He just settled for something that will hopefully cease the situation.
"Itachi-san's vocabulary is really advanced for his age isn't it?" Tanjiro chimed with Nezuko nodding in support. Itachi really has way with words.
"It makes you think, just what kind of environment he grew up in. For someone so young to be this mature." Zenitsu added, his respect for Itachi growing.
"I'll be leaving that will with you. Take it to the ANBU and request that they help out with the investigation!"
"Understood."
Itachi really hoped that was the end of that, but one of them couldn't help but jab a bit even further.
"I certainly hope there will be another lead."
Itachi gripped the note tighter, and said with a growl on his voice. "Why don't you come out and say it?"
The three clansmen stopped walking and turned back to glare at Itachi with their own Sharingan activated.
"You all suspect me, don't you?" Itachi continued as his own eyes activated to match theirs.
The viewers stared in surprise. Seeing the same eyes on the three men.
"So they do have it. Maybe it is within their blood to possess such eyes." Kyojuro stated what the others were thinking.
"Still though, I wonder what kind of abilities these eyes have. They look rather scary." The Love Hashira mumbled, which didn't go unheard by the rest of the viewers.
"So far, we only know it grants the ability to mimic. Based on what the other Uchiha stated when he said a Sharingan can copy handwriting." Urokodaki helpfully added.
"What I'm concerned about, is these three men are suspecting him of murdering someone he sees as his brother." Giyu stated in worry, the entire time he was silent but he could no longer keep a lid on his thoughts.
"Him?" Zenitsu asked in confusion. "What do you call him that Giyu-san? Isn't he you?"
"No." The sudden reply and change of tone caught the humans off guard. "He is not me. He was me. There is a difference. To me he is nothing but a relic of the past, nothing more." Nobody really had the stand to argue with him, seeing sense behind his reasoning.
"Damn right, you brat!" One of them snapped as he charged in to attack, followed by the rest of the two, which was quickly subdued and defeated by Itachi making them sprawl to the ground groaning in pain.
"Well, that was quick. It's either a 13 year old is much more stronger than them, or they are just that weak." The assumption came from the scarred Hashira.
"Like Urokodaki said earlier, Sanemi." Kyojuro replied back, this time with a bit of energy in his voice having moved on from the earlier nightmare when he offended the pale man. "We should not underestimate this people."
"Like I said earlier, it is not wise to judge others based on your preconceptions and by their appearances."
"It's still surprising to me that these words are said from someone much younger than me." Zenitsu spoke.
"I still want to see how strong this Hibachi is." Inosuke interjected with his usual brash voice.
"Didn't we see him knock down three of his clansmen?" Tanjiro replied, Nezuko just nodding along.
"Monitsu, that really doesn't show us much. I want more." The boar headed teen retorted, huffing with his arms crossed.
"I wonder if Tomioka-san shares some of the maturity that Itachi-san showed." Shinobu, jested with an attempt to lighten the mood up. Quite confident that Shiki is not trying to bite their heads off, she was confident lighthearted jokes wouldn't offend the man. The same could not be said for the Water Hashira however.
"I…" Giyu started, which made the humans lean in anticipation. "I am mature."
Tanjiro gaped along with Zenitsu, still surprised at Giyu's pathetic people skills. Inosuke was unsurprisingly clueless, so as Nezuko.
Mitsuri had to bite her cheeks in order to prevent the giggles from coming out. Sanemi didn't offer the same courtesy as a snicker got out of his mouth.
Kyojuro had a carefully blank face, as Urokodaki was strangely silent.
"You assume that I am patient and therefore, you underestimate me."
"Its always "The Clan this," or "The Clan that." You all fail to measure your own capacity and then fail to see the depth of mine. Now you lay before me defeated." Itachi said in a low voice, but the scorn in them could not be denied.
The lighthearted mood died down immediately like a bird who had its wings clipped.
"A lot of demons fell to the blade of demons slayers in the past just because of this arrogance." Urokodaki pointed out. "Also the same could be said for the demon slayers. They think because they have completed years of training, that they are virtually untouchable. They underestimate harmless looking enemies, only for them to be cut down. Arrogance truly is a swift way towards death."
The Hashira were silent, contemplating on the words they have heard. The Hashira were renowned as the best Demon Slayers around, lower slayers worshipped the ground they walked on.
"I wonder if we have became arrogant and let our fame go into our head. For all we know, there might be even stronger people out there." The Love Hashira considered.
"Well, whoever or whatever it is, I don't underestimate. I always cut them down." The boar headed teen huffed, smoke coming out of the nostrils of his boar mask.
"Shisui was told to keep an eye on you…" One of the sprawled members groaned. "After about a year of working with the ANBU, your actions and manner of speech are stranger than ever. What is going on with that head of yours?"
"Wait, Itachi-san is still 13 this time right?" Tanjiro could not help but voice out. "And they say that it has been a year since he has been working with ANBU? So that means he was 12 when he joined?" The shock could not be hidden from his tone as he breathed out. His feelings slowly being shared by the rest of the humans but before that could happen, Kyojuro cut in.
"Maybe so, but we still have no idea of what this ANBU does." Kyojuro replied. "Until then, let us not jump to conclusions. Maybe it is just a really stressing job."
"For some reason, I'm starting to think its more than just a job." The Insect Hashira surmised, her eyes calculating. "The amount of wisdom and maturity Itachi-san shows is abnormal for someone his age.
"Alright, that's enough." Shiki's voice interrupted before more and more questions are asked. "Let me try something else."
The scene in front of everyone froze, before an unrecognizable text appears at the bottom.
"There, what I did is to probe the mind of Uchiha Itachi further, so basic information could be shared and appear on the scene. Information that we currently do not have." To back up what Shiki just said, the text arranges itself into a sentence they could understand.
ANBU: Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad are covert operatives of capable Ninja that are dispatched by the village leader. They are Black Ops who carry out special missions and only a select few are chosen. Itachi Uchiha joined at the age of 11 and became ANBU captain at the age 13. They are recognizable by the porcelain animal themed mask that they wear.
Everyone was stunned, still trying to comprehend what they have read.
"So that was what the mask was for." Urokodaki noted, surprised at the entire revelation.
"I was wrong." Tanjiro blanched. "It wasn't 12 but he was 11 when he joined. Nezuko gripped his hand tight, her heart filled with worry.
"Are you saying, that an 11 year old kid is taking assassination missions?" Shinobu couldn't help but ask incredulously. "What kind of sick era is this?" While training at a young age to kill demons was nothing new to them, killing living breathing people was something else. It was hard to accept that a young boy was already taking lives when he should be doing something else. Or better yet enjoying his childhood.
A thought which is currently shared by the Love Hashira. "That is just horrible."
"Oh what are you blabbering about?" Muzan finally said voice out, after hours of being silent. "That just proves that he is an efficient killer. I wonder what he will be like if I turned him in to a demon. All these human traits are just holding him back anyway." He declared condescendingly.
"Why you…" Giyu, in an unexpectedly angry voice growled out. He felt a hand grip his wrist, stopping him from starting something as he turned to the owner. It was Nezuko, silently pleading him to not do anything hasty. He gave an understanding nod and stood down, with Muzan smirking at him which he did his best to ignore.
"You hold onto the organization, your clan, one's name. But these are the things that limit us and our capacities, and we should detach ourselves from such trivial things!" Itachi roared, his voice slowly twinged with insanity as he glared harder.
"He just snapped." Shinobu blinked. "I think Itachi-san reached his threshold." It was still odd for her to see Itachi as Giyu, but Giyu's words earlier made sense. Itachi and him are not one and the same. Itachi was just a life he lived a long time ago.
"The stress of ANBU must be getting to him." Kyojuro added.
It was strange for them to see a normally calm man snap like this, with hints of insanity coming out.
"A man." The masked man contemplated in silence. "I couldn't even see him as a child anymore, but as a man." He subtly turned to Giyu who was watching the scene intently. "I could see bits of resemblance between this man and Giyu."
"Also, it is foolish to fear what we've yet to see or comprehend!"
"Cut it out Itachi!" A voice called him out making him stop his rant as Itachi grit his teeth.
"Calm down." Itachi turned to the voice who turned out to be his father's. "What in the world is going on here? You've been acting strange lately."
"Nothing is wrong. I'm simply carrying out my duty, that is all." Itachi replied, this time in a composed facade.
The viewers were silent, watching the exchange between father and son.
"Then why didn't you show up for the meeting?" His father couldn't help but probe even further.
"In order to reach the height…"
"What are you talking about?"
His father was caught off guard as Itachi suddenly drew a kunai, and with precision threw it in the center of the Uchiha Clan symbol emblazoned into the district wall. Itachi's calm façade was just that, a façade.
"The height of my capacity. I have lost all hope for this pathetic clan. You forget what is most important to you because you cling to something as insignificant as the clan." Itachi fumed, his Sharingan glaring at his father's eyes.
"True change cannot be made by laws, limitations, predictions, or imagination!"
The humans were once again, stunned in silence. Tanjiro gaping at the scene in front of him as Nezuko held his hand.
"This is escalating badly." Mitsuri stated worryingly watching the events before her unfold.
"I'm having a bad feeling about Itachi." Kyojuro spoke gravely.
"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked back.
"From his wordings, it is clear what he thought of his clan, and by extension his family. I'm afraid Itachi's mind has snapped and is slowly falling into insanity."
Shinobu was silent, her mind reeling from the Flame Hashira's assessment. It was not far from the truth. She just hoped it was not the case.
"What arrogance!" His father barked, as the sprawled clansmen stood up, recovering from the earlier beatdown.
"That's enough. If you keep this up, we'll take you to jail!" One of them declared, as he rubbed his head in pain.
"So, now what?" Another one of snarled. "I can't put up with this anymore! Captain, order an arrest!"
Itachi just narrowed crimson eyes, body tensing slightly in preparation for a fight that would break out.
"Brother! Stop it already!" A young voice called out from the side. It was his younger brother Sasuke, pleading him to stop.
"Oh thank goodness Sasuke was there to calm him down." The Love Hashira could not help but sigh in relief, holding her hands to her chest. Her relief wasn't shared by the others however.
Itachi's face was void of emotion as he kneeled down and prostrated himself. In front of the three clansmen and his father.
"It is not I who killed Shisui…" He started in a humble voice. "But for the words I have said, I deeply apologize."
His father just sighed in acceptance as he regarded his oldest. "You've been overworked by the ANBU, and it looks like it's catching up to you."
"Overwork is an understatement." Sanemi blurted out. "The kid literally just snapped and you call it simple overworking?"
The rest of them just silently agreed. This ANBU must be one hell of responsibility for someone so young.
"But Captain!" One of the Uchiha couldn't help but retort, he couldn't accept Itachi getting away with a slap on the wrist.
"The ANBU is a unit under the direct order of the Hokage. Even the Police Force can't arrest them without an official order." His father replied with finality in his voice. "Besides, I'll be taking full responsibility of watching over him.
"Please." His father requested as the three clansmen stood down.
"Understood, Captain."
"Well, they really could not argue with that." Shinobu stated. "If ANBU is under the direct order of the Hokage then they don't have the right to detain him." Even after all this time, it was still hard for her to accept that someone so young is already shouldering a heavy responsibility.
"Let's go inside Itachi." His father beseeched as Itachi remained kneeled down. He slowly rose up from his position, glaring at the back of his father's retreating form. His eyes three tomoe Sharingan slowly morphing into a bladed pinwheel.
"What is that?" Urokodaki asked in alarm, as everyone else was taken aback by the sudden shift in Itachi's Sharingan.
"Could it be that these eyes of him are capable of evolving? Is this what he meant by the height of his capacity?" This surprisingly came from Giyu who has not been very vocal the entire time they were there.
"It is possible." Zenitsu replied in a rare moment of wisdom. "So far from what we have seen, all the Uchiha has the same Sharingan, so it is possible that Itachi-san found a way to surpass that.
The rest of the humans were silent, contemplating the blond teen's answer as Muzan's eyes narrowed.
"An eye technique that evolves? This became more interesting."
"I want eyes that evolve too!" Inosuke cried in excitement as Tanjiro tries to calm him down.
The scene changes into Itachi's room.
Itachi is seen sitting on the floor, with his back siding against the wall reading the suicide note Shisui left behind with nothing but the light of the moon illuminating his room. He silently stares at the note, with bags in his eyes and a somber expression.
"Itachi…" His mother's voice called from outside. "I'll just leave your dinner here."
Itachi didn't say a word, as he kept on staring at the note.
"I guess Itachi-san's job is making him age even faster." Mitsuri pointed out, noticing the much prominent stress lines and eye bags on his face. "Despite all that, he still really looks handsome."
"I know that you're busy with work, but can't you eat dinner with your family at least once in a while?" His mother did not wait for a reply as she left.
"Thank you… mother." Itachi's expression turned from somber to resolute as he stood up leaving the note to fall on the floor.
The young man changed into his ANBU uniform, strapping a sword on his back as he tied the Konoha head band to his forehead, his Sharingan glowing.
The Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye): is a bloodline eye technique unique to the Uchiha. The user is granted incredible clarity of perception enabling them to read lips or mimic movements. In combat, in allows them to perceive things in slow motion and could copy and counter any of the opponent's physical attack. This also grants them the ability to copy any techniques they see as long as it is not a bloodline. The Sharingan also grants its wielder powerful illusions which can knock or even kill an unsuspecting enemy in one move.
"That is one hell of an eye." Sanemi blurted out awe, the rest of them agreeing finally knowing what a Sharingan can do.
"Imagine an entire squad of Demons Slayers with these eyes, we could turn the tides to our favor." Kyojuro said in interest, picturing an entire fleet of Sharingan wielding demon slayers cutting down entire armies effortlessly.
"I for one wonder how well a Sharingan could complement our breathing styles." Shinobu added. "It was said that these eyes can see things in slow motion. That alone already gives a huge advantage to anyone who has it." The applications were almost limitless, Shinobu thought seeing the huge benefits a Sharingan has.
"I don't think it would be that easy." Urokodaki voiced out.
"What do you mean?" Shinobu replied.
"Remember what Itachi said earlier. 'You hold onto the organization, your clan, one's name. But these are the things that limit us and our capacities, and we should detach ourselves from such trivial things.' Those were his exact words." The humans turn silent as Urokodaki continued.
"There is a reason why we no longer see the Uchiha around, so I doubt it would be as easy as what Kyojuro or Shinobu says."
"As expected from Urokodaki-dono." Giyu thought, impressed at the deducting skills his mentor possesses. "Leave it to him to actually make sense of something so quick."
"An entire demon army with these eyes." Muzan thought in excitement, almost salivating at the prospect. "With it, the demons would be unstoppable."
The scene shifted into Itachi heading out, leaping from house to house until he entered one.
He then proceeds to cut them down, his blade gleaming in the moonlight as he killed in an efficient manner. With the blood staining the windows, the victims never had a chance to scream for help before disappearing in a blur.
"What in the world…" Kyojuro gasped.
The rest of the human viewers were aghast. Seeing the same boy from earlier cut down a bunch of civilians.
Itachi is seen squatting on top of an electric post, scanning the entire district with his Sharingan glowing ominously, the moon illuminating his blood-soaked haunting appearance.
"That's scary…" Zenitsu shivered in distress. "Did anybody see Itachi-san kill people or is it just me?" He could not help but whimper as he shook even more. He felt a hand reach out to his, it was Nezuko attempting to calm him down. Tanjiro and Inosuke watched with agape expressions, though in Inosuke's case, it was not visible to the others.
"No, you're not the only one." Urokodaki replied grimly, with his eyes still glued to the scene he just saw. "Itachi, what spurred you to do such a thing?"
The Hashira were appalled at what they have just witnessed. Itachi's blood soaked figure illuminated by the moonlight, looking like a spectre of death.
But out of all of them, Giyu was the most affected. "What is this…"
The scene shifted to Sasuke, running hurriedly back to the clan district.
"Man, the shuriken training took longer than I expected it to. Now I'm really late."
"Oh no! It's Sasuke-san! Please don't come back it's dangerous!" Even though it is no use, Mitsuri could not help herself but wail. The rest of the humans however did not have the heart to stop her.
Sasuke stops infront of an electric pose, he could have sworn someone was on top of it.
"What's with this strange feeling I just had?" He then set his sights in front of him, a gasp of shock leaving his mouth seeing several dead bodies of his clansmen sprawled on the ground, obviously dead.
A feeling of dread overcame Sasuke as he ran back to their house, hoping to find someone
.
"Mom! Dad!" Sasuke called out as soon as he arrived. There was no answer as the house was eerily quiet, and the lights are turned off. Sasuke climbed up to his parent's room and slowly opened the door.
In there, he saw his brother standing on top of his parent's corpses. Sasuke didn't even register the subtle killing intent that Itachi let out as a bit of relief came over.
"Even his own parents…" Giyu whispered horrified. "Just what the hell is going on?!" The normally calm Hashira snapped, surprising every one who knew him as realization finally dawning over him like cold water. He was a monster in his past life.
"Calm down!" Urokodaki barked with steel in his voice, gripping the Water Hashira's shoulders forcing him to face his direction.
"This is not you. Remember, Itachi Uchiha is not you. This happened a long time ago." Urokodaki tried to calm down his hyperventilating student.
The rest of the Hashira remained silent, not knowing what to say.
"Brother! Mom and Dad are…" Sasuke could not even form proper sentences, despair winning him over as he closed his eyes and shook himself in denial.
"Why! What is this?!" He yelled out in anguish. "Who the hell did this?!"
Sasuke's raving was cut off as a Shuriken grazed his shoulder. His eyes wide in shock, not even registering the pain as he stared at his brother horrified.
"Poor Sasuke-san!" The Love Hashira cried, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes seeing Sasuke's betrayed expression.
"Foolish little brother." Itachi answered, slowly opening his eyes as it shifted into a bladed pinwheel.
"Tsukoyomi!
Tsukoyomi: An advanced illusion technique granted by the Mangekyou Sharingan which can only be attained very few people. It traps the victim in a 72 hour illusion, torturing them in the said duration while only a second passes in the real world.
"What a terrifying ability." Shinobu stated clenching her fists. "If this falls into the wrong hands, who knows what could happen."
"That's a very powerful technique indeed." Muzan thought, getting even more excited at the idea of Mangekyo Sharingan. "If only I could add this power to my new form…"
Sasuke vision distorted, with the surroundings turning red. Screams of people and blade digging through flesh filled his ears.
"Stop it! Brother! Why are you showing this to me?!" Sasuke screamed in agony, clutching his head in pain as he was forced to see his fears over and over again.
The human viewers could only stare at the scene in shock, appalled at the thought that Itachi could do something so heartless and inhumane to his beloved brother.
Mitsuri in particular felt her heart break witnessing the gruesome scene.
Sasuke collapsed to the floor, his eyes glassed over as drool escapes his lips.
"Why…?" Sasuke weakly muttered. The pain clear in his voice as the one he idolized, his beloved brother could do such a thing. "Why, brother?"
The human viewers could only emphatize with Sasuke's pain. Asking themselves why Itachi would do such a thing. His current behavior contradicting what he showed earlier.
"To measure the height of my capacity." Itachi blankly replied, his face void of emotions.
"Just for that?!" The Water Hashira roared. "You destroy your family for something like that?!" His voice broke as he raved at Itachi, his eyes blurry as tears start to block his vision.
"I don't understand…" Sasuke could not comprehend such reasoning. "Just for that… Just for that, you killed everyone?"
"It was necessary."
Chapter End.
Author's Notes: Sorry it took a while. I wanted to make sure that my reaction fic does not lack in proper reactions. I read this reaction fic a while ago and it pissed me off how many exciting scenes did not get any reaction whatsoever. I'm not going to mention what it was, but it wasn't a Naruto reaction fic.
The next chapter will cover Sasuke vs Itachi.
Also, apologies if the characters may seem OOC, I am basing my knowledge from the current anime. I am still going to start reading the manga. I also corrected some grammatical errors in Chapter 1, expect the same thing to happen here a few days later when I upload Chapter 3.
