Forgotten
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto (Shippuden). This is a story inspired by the original made up for entertainment purposes only. - Krystal
Chapter 5: Sacrifices
Many years have passed now. Yuki was now proudly wearing the ANBU's uniform. She was an excellent ninja: fast, resourceful, intelligent and decisive. When she first joined, she was under Kakashi's guidance. His team quickly became her friends and trusted ones. It didn't take long before she lead her own small team. Because the Hokage was well aware of her desire to travel, she was often given recognition or data gathering missions in foreign lands. Out of all the ANBUs, she was likely the one who knew the best about foreign geography.
Yuki was walking down the hallway in the ANBUs' quarters with her mask down in her right hand. She was just back from a mission around the Grass Village and had just reported to the Hokage. She was finally getting some time off: one day to be precise. She didn't mind not having a day off, but it sure was nice to relax a little bit. To some extent, being an ANBU revealed itself to be a ruthless and tiresome job. However, it kept her busy. It kept her wanting to protect Konoha. It was the purpose for which she joined the ANBU squad after all.
Yuki almost reached her locker room when she noticed a shadow walking towards her. Uchiha Itachi. His mask was also off and but he was wearing his uniform. She had grown close to him when she was under Kakashi's guidance. The more she knew about him, the more he intrigued her. It was a mutual feeling between the two of them. He gave a nod of acknowledgement and nothing more. She nodded back. She couldn't help to notice that his face was darker than usual and that something heavy was hovering over his shoulders. Itachi was usually pretty warm when encountering Yuki, but he seemed distant. There was definitely something off about him. He walked past her and she looked at his back as he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway. Right before the darkness fully engulfed him, he said:
"You would look over my brother if something happened to me, right?"
"Sasuke? Yeah... but Itachi, with your skills, I doubt I would need to do that for you."
He gave a small fake chuckle.
"I'm glad to hear that. Thank you, Yuki."
He walked away. It must be quite a mission if he is worried about his brother. She thought to herself as she opened the door to her locker room.
2AM. Yuki opened her eyes in shock. She had a nightmare about a massacre. The violence that she witnessed in her nightmare troubled her. Yuki was not one to fear blood or death. She has seen countless now, being an ANBU. This was out of the ordinary. She calmed herself by taking deep breathes. It was just a nightmare. She looked outside the window at the moon. She saw a familiar shadow from a afar. She blinked. It was gone. She blinked again: still nothing. She shook her head and smiled a little bit. I'm just seeing things because I'm tired. She thought as she was about to pull her blankets up and sleep again. She could sleep in tomorrow as she was off-duty. Before she could make herself comfortable, she heard a knock on her window. She quickly turned her head and saw one of her fellow ANBU out there. He gave her sign to get moving and to head to the Hokage's office. It seemed like her nightmare was a premonition to something bad after all. She gave him a nod that signified her understanding and he left to notify the others. She rushed out of bed, grabbed her ANBU jacket and mask, quickly tidied up her hair and tied her forehead protector onto her belt. She left within a minute.
Yuki arrived on the rooftop of the Hokage's office. She lined up with the others. The Third was facing them with a dark expression. As everybody arrived, he cleared his throat and began explaining:
"Tonight, something terrible has happened to the village. Uchiha Itachi deserted the village after killing off his clan members."
Yuki felt her heart sink. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. All the others appeared to have the same thoughts.
"Is there any survivor?" asked one of them.
"Just the young Sasuke. He has been taken to the hospital." replied the Hokage with a saddened voice.
Everybody went silent. The Hokage cleared his throat again before continuing:
"Itachi has now left the village. He will be branded as a S-rank criminal. He is wanted dead or alive. He is no longer your teammate and you will show no mercy if you ever encounter him. But do take precautions. We are all aware of how strong he is. We are not chasing after him tonight. Your job is to ensure the villagers' safety and well-being. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." said everyone in unison except for Yuki.
"You are all dismissed." said the Hokage as he turned his back to the ANBUs.
Everyone left. Yuki remained there.
"Hokage-sama..." she began.
"You are dismissed."
Yuki took off her mask and asked:
"Can I talk to you as your granddaughter then?"
"Yuki..."
Yuki started feeling her eyes getting filled up with tears. She isn't usually one to cry. She couldn't even remember the last time she cried. The feeling just overwhelmed her. She bit down onto her lip, took a deep breathe and said with a shaky voice:
"He wouldn't do such a thing. He loved them more than anything. He loved his brother more than anything. I can vouch for that. He asked to me to take care of Sasuke if anything was to happen to him. Why would someone like that kill his fellow clan members? I don't understand. Grandpa, please explain this to me in a way that I can understand... right now, this all doesn't make any sense to me!"
She closed her eyes as big tears rolled down her cheek. They were warm against her cold cheeks. She clenched her teeth as a way to stop those tears from coming, but they kept on coming. She suddenly felt a warm hand against her back.
"Yuki, sometimes, we make decisions that are irrational..."
"Itachi isn't an irrational man. If anything, he is more rational than all of us."
"I never said he made an irrational decision."
Yuki stopped her sobbing. Something seems wrong in this situation. If Itachi truly is such a terrible murderer, the order to hunt him down would be immediate. However, we were told to ensure the villagers' well-being. Itachi also asked me, today, to care for Sasuke.
"This was his mission, wasn't it? It was because there was doubt about the Uchiha's potential rebellion, wasn't it?" she asked as her heart began to beat faster and faster. "This was his own choice, wasn't it? He... He believed this was the only solution, wasn't it? Tell me that you didn't make him do this!"
"Yuki..."
"How much pain is he going through right now?"
"He would be in more pain if he let them rebel against the village."
"How much did he love this village?"
"Very much..."
"How much did he love Sasuke?"
"More than anything, like you said."
Yuki's legs gave out. She crumbled to the ground.
"Does Sasuke know?" she asked looking blankly ahead of her.
"No. He asked for this to remain a secret as it would preserve the Uchiha's prestige."
"So, he sacrificed himself, just like that, without caring who else would get hurt along the way?"
"Many have done so before him. They just believed that their own sacrifice and the few that will be hurt along the way is better than never ending bloodshed."
"Many?"
"You know about Hyuga Hizashi? The Hyuga affair, a few years back? It was around the same time as when you became an ANBU. He, too, sacrificed himself and, perhaps, the happiness of his son for the sake of his clan and this village."
"We just added another tale to that one."
"Sometimes, sacrifices are necessary..."
"I hope the village is proud of itself for such sacrifices." Yuki said sarcastically as she picked herself off the ground.
"Yuki..."
She turned towards the Third and gave his a sad smile before putting on her mask.
"Hokage-sama, I'll go help the others now."
"Yuki..."
She disappeared in a whirlwind of snow crystals. The Hokage looked at those crystals where the rising sun was reflecting through. It was already another day.
End of Chapter 5
Thank you so much for reading.
xoxox
Krystal