Sasuke stared blankly at his reflection in the water from his spot perched on the pier. The current of the Naka River lulled slightly with the pull of the hidden moon above, ripples breaking gently past the surface. Looking into the dark blue, murky depths of the waves, Sasuke saw a pair of obsidian eyes, fair skin, and a thin, narrow mouth.
Suddenly, the reflection shifted to reveal a much older looking boy, almost a man, with a lined face and hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Sasuke's irises flashed in rage. The bastard that killed my entire clan!
Furiously, he dove into the river and propelled himself voraciously downwards. He wanted to touch rock bottom, to prove to himself that he could breathe without the help of oxygen, the sole lifeline to his now-discarded existence. Blowing bubbles furiously, Sasuke thrashed his limbs wildly as he descended in altitude. He would do whatever it took to kill that person. Whatever it took. That person. His name was -
Underwater, Sasuke screamed, inadvertently swallowing liquid into his aching lungs. I want to kill him! I want to - His limbs convulsed desperately as he fought against his own body's survival instincts. At last, his outstretched palm settled upon the murky texture of silt, particles flying upwards upon contact.
Why can't I just die here , Sasuke thought miserably. Why did it have to end this way? Questions he had been asking himself for the past month alone, staring at the mounting pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, the ever dwindling supply of water in the pipes as utility bills were left unpaid, and - how could he forget - the crimson stains that flashed a brilliant shade of ivory when lightning struck during storms. The crimson stains that belonged to his murdered mother and father.
Itachi. His name was Itachi.
Submerged beneath the river, Sasuke shrieked silently, ignoring the water that infiltrated his lungs like an unwanted intruder, hostile with only the sole mission of taking his life. But why didn't you kill me? Why didn't you kill me back then? His thoughts raced like the Katon flames that had emerged across the lake as he had performed his first Fire Style jutsu. He wanted to let himself drown, right then and there, all alone in a place where no one would be able to find his corpse. It was too terrible to bear the sole weight of those memories. They ate away at his heart, causing him to see terrible visions of severed limbs as he lay awake at night on his bed, trying to sleep. He could still imagine the expressions of horror on his clansmen's faces, the shock present during their last minutes of breathing, slash wounds painted like twisted calligraphy marks across their decapitated heads. Had Itachi done that because it was the quickest way of killing them? If so, why didn't he do that to me too and spare me this misery? The water streamed gently against his face, an invisible hand wiping away his tears.
His lungs gave way and liquid gushed in. A suicidal desire overtook him, but some invisible force pushed him towards above until he broke air and gasped. Choking and spluttering, Sasuke paddled his way pathetically towards the shoreline. He pulled himself up onto the dry riverbank and settled onto the soft grass. Clutching his head in his hands, back quivering, he lay still. He closed his eyes as tight as he could and recited the same line until his head was numb from thinking the same thought over and over again. I wish I was dead. I wish I was dead. I wish I was dead…
His kind and gentle older brother was gone, no longer in existence. The fake personality had never been real. It was all simply a test of his own ability. Back when Father had been alive, Sasuke remembered how he used to praise Itachi incessantly in his special deep, warm cadence. "That's my boy." Those three words had been the acknowledgement that Sasuke had always dreamed of obtaining growing up. Now, Father was dead. So was Mother, who had promised to engage him in shuriken throwing practice on the days when Itachi was too busy. A burst of happiness enveloped Sasuke's chest in momentary warmth as he recalled how Mother used to cook the most delicious tomatoes and onigiri. After eating a hearty lunch, they would set out together to reach Teyaki and Uruchi's delicious bakery stand, where delicious dango awaited.
But Uchiha Teyaki and Uchiha Uruchi were themselves too gone, slaughtered by his brother's hand.
My beloved older brother.
Sasuke let out an anguished cry of pain. Then, everything went black.
…
When Sasuke awoke, his eyelashes fluttered open to a pitch black night sky. As he sat up, startled that he had fallen asleep in a very public place within the Uchiha Clan's compound, his gaze drifted sleepily over the moonlight's reflection illuminated off of the Naka River's surface. "How beautiful," he whispered aloud. It would be the perfect scene to tell Mother about, and maybe this time he could gain Father's attention if he described it just right.
A familiar stone edged itself into Sasuke's chest. His emotions hardened into apathy and disdain. No, water that reflected the sky was not a beautiful vision at all. It displayed the color of the heavens that night when… Squinting his eyes tightly shut, Sasuke forced the vision away with the power of his mental will. As he sat up on the vegetation and stumbled to his feet, he breathed in the crisp, cool air particular to the Land of Fire. I'll try not to remember it, that's all . He ignored the pier with a stoic indifference, walking up the steep stone staircase that led to the main road. From there, Sasuke made his way back to his house, the Clan Head's house, deep within the compound.
The road was a simple dirt path, paved neatly. Simple details like this had never provoked Sasuke's consideration before. He had simply assumed that that was the way things always were and always would be. Yet, though unruly weeds poked through some spots, the road was astonishingly spotless in most areas, though it had not been kept for quite a while now. Sasuke remembered how it had been part of the Konoha Military Police Force's duties to keep the village organized. Outside of the Uchiha compound, civilians worked together in volunteer teams to dispose of the garbage and maintain the roads. However, the Uchiha had preferred to manage their own internal affairs. Memories of overhearing Father discussing such trivial affairs with fellow clansmen still registered in Sasuke's mind. He kicked a pebble carelessly away from him. But it didn't matter now .
Sasuke's mind drifted to more peaceful recollections. Sauntering past the shuttered storefronts, he stared forlornly at the former weapons shop. That was where he and Itachi had bought new kunai and sharpened shuriken, when they weren't on a trip to Granny Cat's hideout. He still could feel the dull end of the blade cutting into his palm as he prepared to launch it at a wooden target at the clan training grounds. It was so satisfying, the feeling of having a fresh tool. One of Sasuke's favorite sensations had been hearing the scrape of metal against the flat board, meaning he had hit bulls-eye.
As he traveled by the blacksmith, Sasuke gaped openly at the swords still displayed behind the cloth curtains. The cloth fluttered in the wind tantalizingly and he took a step closer. Leaning onto the wooden countertop, Sasuke gazed longingly at the elegantly crafted katana hung in the back. Next to it was a slightly shorter wakizashi blade. He thought back to when he and Itachi had come here to explore the selection. The shopkeeper had been courteous as ever, giving Sasuke the chance to hold the long katana and test his grip. As he had practiced swinging the sword, under Itachi's watchful supervision, Sasuke had pretended that he was one of the revered heroes of old. Folktales of famous Uchiha warriors that Mother and Itachi had told him from the time he was little had brought a grin to his face. When it was time to give the sword back to the shopkeeper, Sasuke had performed the action with a resigned frown, at which the shopkeeper had winked at him and said, "One day."
Sasuke wondered if he could touch the sword now, but hastened to restrict himself. It was not right to handle other people's goods. Besides, the shopkeeper might be back soon, and would not enjoy the sight of a seven year old handling such professional weapons. He forced himself to walk on. Soon, the storefronts melded into the same homogeneous brand of sturdy wooden structures. Residences were stacked on top of some businesses. Banners bearing the red and white uchiwa insignia were displayed proudly in front of all of the buildings. If there was even a single soul lurking within one of the apartments, Sasuke wanted to see them. He wanted to reach out to feel the warmth of human touch. He wanted to meet a fellow clan member again, even if it was only one person.
A loud crash echoed throughout the empty street. Sasuke jumped in surprise. As his mind processed the fact that there might be someone out there, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Was it a friend or a foe? Or…had Itachi come back for him? Sasuke cursed when he realized he had brought no shuriken or kunai with him. Sweat beaded down his neck at the possibility of being ambushed. Foolish little brother. Pushing aside the haunting chant, he took small steps towards the source. As he used his hearing and memory as a guide, Sasuke inched along the side of the surrounding shops to reach his destination. His eyes widened when he realized that he was looking straight at Teyaki and Uruchi's old bakery.
Even if it was Itachi that had come back, Sasuke wouldn't let him touch the fondly remembered place over his dead body. Rushing headlong at the building, he shoved aside the curtains with the big red "X" spray painted over them by the authorities and collided into the stools lining the dessert display. "If it's you, Itachi, I've come for you!" Sasuke hollered at the top of his lungs, and jumped over the countertop. Sprinting to the back of the store, he grabbed a cooking knife from a nearby table and thrust it in front of him. His body relaxed when he saw that it was just a tray that had fallen from the countertop. Unfinished desserts lay spilled on the table and onto the floor: painstakingly handcrafted nerikiri shaped like flowers, circular dango piled onto sticks, and sweetened manjū enveloped in red bean paste underneath pieces of dough. Sasuke's fists clenched when he saw the rats who had been so busy fighting over the delicacies that they had collectively managed to knock over the original tray onto the floor.
These rats were the only remains of what used to be a thriving sweets shop. Teyaki and Uruchi had managed this bakery with tender care, shaping each wagashi dessert precisely with their gentle, skillful hands. The wagashi appeared mouthwatering enough on the outside, but when one bit into them, that was when the true flavor popped out. He remembered Father's favorite type of sweets, higashi candy, which was shaped like leaves, fish, and flowers. Father had once remarked, "Higashi reflects the change of seasons, the ever eternal shifting manner of nature. Like higashi, we humans learn to appreciate the beauty of change, morphed from our old traditional manner of existence into a new beginning." When Sasuke had heard those words, he rather thought that Itachi was more similar to Father than his older brother cared to profess. In moments like those, when Father's expression morphed into one of philosophical contemplation, Sasuke could see the same resemblance between father and son as they meditated upon hard subjects…subjects that were much too complicated for Sasuke.
Mother's favorite type of pastry had been the ichigo daifuku that had been prepared at the bakery twice daily. The sumptuous mochi had a whole strawberry encased in layers of bean paste. Mother used to say, "Sweets taste delicious, but they are unhealthy. Sasuke and Itachi, remember to eat your fruits and vegetables!" A reluctant smile twisted Sasuke's long hardened mouth at the memory.
A rat squealed as its prized catch was snatched away from it by another greedy rat. The two danced around Sasuke's feet in a manic dance, each trying to outdo the other. Observing the pathetic sight, Sasuke's lips pressed into a firm line. So this one miserable scavenger was all that was left of the once magnificent Uchiha bakery shop? It disgusted him.
It didn't have to be this way. It never had to be this way.
"No," Sasuke muttered, "It didn't." He kicked his foot out swiftly, catching a rat under a harsh stomp. The animal shrieked in agony as it tried to escape Sasuke's grasp. Its limbs twitched in scared, frantic motions. How helpless it looks . Once upon a time, he would have let the poor, forsaken creature go. But he was angry at the desecration of one of the Uchiha Clan's most beloved sites. Crimson enveloped his vision. If it wasn't for Itachi, I would have everything I ever loved back . Breathing furiously, Sasuke pressed down even harder onto the tiny life until it stopped moving.
When he recognized that the creature was still, Sasuke lifted his foot off of its body. Then, he bent down and picked up the rat with his bare hands. "I'm sorry," he whispered to the pitiful animal. "I never wanted to hurt you. I don't know what came over me." Before he left the store, he cleaned up all of the crumbs from the floor and placed the tray back onto its place on the table. He took a small piece of ohagi, a pastry made of an outer layer of red bean paste covering an inner layer of glutinous mochi paste, along with the rat. Outside, he carried both tenderly in his arms until he reached a lovely grassy spot a fair distance away from the business district.
Laying the rat down onto the ground, Sasuke kneeled onto the dirt and dug a shallow little hole that was just big enough for it to fit. Afterwards, he laid the animal vertically inside of the hole, placing the small piece of pastry next to it. "I'm sorry," he said again, clasping his palms together and bowing his head in memorial. "Please go onto your next life in peace." After uttering the small prayer, Sasuke bowed once again. By the time he had covered the hole with a thick layer of soil, his fingernails were caked with sediment.
A strong emotion came over him at the sight of the dirt mound. It made Sasuke think of the moment when Itachi left. He had screamed his fury out at the world, cursing Itachi with every pejorative that his emotionally battered mind could conjure up. In desperation, he had run back to the spot where Father and Mother were lying. It all had to be a bad dream , he had kept on telling himself over and over again, as he passionately urged them to wake up. But the longer he called out their names, the more ruby rivulets trickled across the wooden floorboards. Exhausted, Sasuke had knelt by their side quietly, speaking softly to them to wake up. Thirty minutes later, when the police and the Third Hokage himself had arrived to appraise the mess, Sasuke recollected himself staring up at their sorrowful faces with no emotions showing on his face. His soul, his spirit, his hope for the future, felt deadened by what he had witnessed. Vaguely, he remembered the Third Hokage by his side, placing a soft, reassuring hand on his shoulder, telling him, "Everything is going to be okay."
It all meant nothing anyway .
When the shinobi had ushered him out of the house, Sasuke had known that they were preparing to lug away the bodies of his parents. He didn't remember much about the long walk to the hospital, but he remembered telling himself the same thought repeatedly. Everything is going to be okay. Wake up, Sasuke, it's all a dream. None of this is real. None of this is real. None of this is real…
Sadly, when he had woken up in the hospital bed from his coma three days later, the previous events had rushed to his mind in a vicious array of flashbacks. He'd snuck out of the hospital, intent on reaching his house to confirm if his suspicions were really true. It was when Sasuke had stepped foot into the threshold of the main room that he had spotted the dried bloody outline of his parents' bodies. It was then that he had collapsed onto the mat in a stupor. Ever since that day, he had been living all alone in his house, slowly learning how to take care of himself without anyone there to guide him. Once in a while, the Fourth Hokage checked in with Sasuke to see how he was getting along financially, but Sasuke managed his sums diligently. It was not hard to scrape up a few coins considering the substantial reserves that the entire clan had left behind. Now, the sole proprietor of those funds was him.
Wordlessly, Sasuke patted the burial mound to make sure that it would not be disintegrated by the wind. His knees creaked as he sat up, as if groaning about the burden they had borne within the past month. He trudged on back to the main road without sparing a glance back at the grassy field, making his way closer to his home. Fortunately, it was not that far away. Within the next fifteen minutes, Sasuke was at his front door.
Pushing open the wooden gate, he passed the pond of koi fish, who had all died with no food to eat, and the bonsai trees framing the large walled-in property, which had taken on a somewhat duller hue. Sasuke took off his shoes at the entrance, an Uchiha custom. He stepped foot on the cool, hard wood of the elevated floor. It was a small pleasure to be back on familiar territory. Sliding open the bamboo shoji door leading into the house, he was greeted by a burst of musty air, stale with the scent of disuse. He shut the shoji door and his stomach growled impatiently. He was hungry.
For the first couple of weeks following the coup d'etat, Sasuke had lain on the tatami mats in various rooms, drowning in his ruminations. He had not eaten a single bite of food during the first week. It was only when his limbs grew shaky with malnutrition that he fished a bowl of dried white rice out of the rice cooker. He had wolfed down the food without a second thought, then passed out on the low dining table. In the time that had passed since, he had consumed all of the meat, vegetables, and produce stored in the kitchen. If he did not go shopping for groceries soon, he would run out of food. He would starve to death.
Sometimes, Sasuke would traitorously wonder, What is Itachi doing now? That initial speculation was accompanied by the usual fear, rage, and sadness, or it could be followed by extreme apathy. Apathy was what brought Sasuke to the floor, sprawled out on the tatami mats for hours in empty silence, watching the water drip drip drip from a hole in the ceiling. This was existence; it was cold, cruel, and ruthless. Just like Itachi . And that would end his original speculation.
But after he had buried the rat, Sasuke was not in the mood to brood. He simply wanted to find a quiet place to rest. He was about to head to his room to nap, until he happened to step upon a straw tatami mat. The seventh tatami mat from the right.
Memories flooded into his brain. "You will unlock the secrets of the Mangekyo Sharingan if you enter the main hall of the Naka Shrine on the seventh tatami mat from the right and read the stone tablet. Only those with the Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan are able to read it. The more advanced your ocular prowess, the more of the tablet you will be able to read." Those were the words Itachi had said to him before he disappeared in a flash from their decimated clan. It was the last time Sasuke had seen Itachi since.
His head perked up sharply. If there was indeed such a treasure stored beneath the shrine that he had been frequenting all of his life, he had to see it for himself. Racing to the entrance, Sasuke slipped on his ninja sandals and sprinted down the street as fast as he could. Exerting all of his energy on running, he jumped across rooftops as a shortcut in order to reach his destination at the other end of the compound. When he finally arrived at the Naka Shrine, panting, he paused for a moment to catch his breath. Wiping away the sweat that littered his brow, he smirked as he passed under the massive crimson archway guarding the entrance and walked up to the large wooden gate that awaited visitors. I've finally made it .
From past experience, Sasuke knew that no ordinary man would be able to open the gate without possessing the Sharingan. It was a security measure that the clan had implemented long ago when the building had first been erected in order to keep out spies or any unwanted guests. As he reached the front door, he activated the ocular prowess and heard a satisfactory click from somewhere within. Pushing his entire body weight against the gate, Sasuke managed to shove it open and slip inside.
A large meeting hall greeted him, the floor set with an array of straw tatami mats. Urns fit with miniature bonsai trees were set within the crevices on each side of the wall. In the middle of the room, candles were set upon a slightly elevated table fit to perform ritual duties. Sasuke ignored the familiar scenery that he had witnessed each time he came with his family whenever the entire clan convened for official clan meetings. Those occasions had always been somber, with an air of seriousness that penetrated the atmosphere. He remembered sitting in seiza position for endlessly long periods of time, staring at the intricately carved paper lanterns that were suspended from the ceiling or the massive gong that stood in the corner. During those times, Sasuke had found the sound of his father's voice to be excruciatingly boring as the clan head had droned on about politics, interclan relations, and the budget. Other clan members, particularly the proud middle aged men or younger men in their twenties, would interject passionately with their own opinions. Now, as Sasuke counted the number of tatami mats from the right hand side, attempting to find the right one, he desperately wished that he had paid more attention to what Father was saying during those gatherings.
Aha! I've got it . Sasuke sighed. Then, he gently crouched down, fingers prying around for an opening within the perimeters of the tatami straw. He managed to slide his thumb and index finger under the straw and finally, flipped it over. The mat collapsed onto its side, revealing a set of stone stairs leading down into a dark underground passageway. So this is it , Sasuke thought. It was shocking to discover that the story was actually real. I've been walking through this room and sitting here in the seiza position listening to Father lecturing me all of my life and I never even knew what lay beneath. A powerful curiosity seized him as he stared at the mysterious gloom. I have to know what lies down there. If there was knowledge or power that could help him to defeat Itachi and take revenge for Mother, Father, and the rest of his clan, he knew that he would do anything it took to obtain them, no matter the obstacles that he had to overcome.
Itachi's words echoed in his mind as he took his first tentative step down. The stairway was stable, with no loose stones that gave way under him. To light up the way in front of him, Sasuke hastily performed a Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique that sent flaming balls traveling as projectiles in order to light up each unlit candle hanging on the walls. As he cautiously descended into the brightened passageway, he treaded carefully to avoid any misstep that might send him tumbling. Farther into the stairwell, the heady scent of lingering incense grew stronger and stronger. Sasuke gently inhaled the smoky fragrance of sandalwood. It reminded him of the ancestral rituals that were held at the clan's burial ground each year to honor their ancestors. During such times, he would stand respectfully with his parents as their clan's chief priest conducted formal rituals in order to ensure that the dead of the Uchiha Clan maintained peace in the Pure Lands. Offerings such as rice and sake would be distributed amongst the headstones. Sasuke still remembered the serious expressions that everyone wore at such occasions as he stepped out into a small room amongst the glowing flicker of orange and yellow candlelight.
In the middle of the space lay a large stone tablet, true to Itachi's legend. It was completely blank, with no visible markings carved into the stone. On the wall above the tablet, a framed calligraphy painting hung, with the characters for "Uchiha" displayed proudly upon it. Flanking the display on either side was an illustration of the red and white uchiwa symbol. Stepping closer, Sasuke squinted as he examined the smooth surface of the granite, bordered by two urns placed to the left and the right of the tablet. To be able to see the full range of features in the room, Sasuke performed the Katon jutsu one more time, sending fire atop the urns that illuminated the room. It's strange. There must be information hidden here, but why isn't it showing? He wondered what could possibly be revealed to him here. Perhaps there was the history of the Uchiha Clan's origins, a secret history that had not been told to him by Father or Itachi yet. Urgh ! His heart twisted in pain at the memory of his slaughtered family. That name .
Agonizing sorrow tore through his chest, then a sudden, vicious hatred. "I'll kill him," Sasuke muttered aloud, digging his fingernails into the soft flesh of his palms as he clenched his fists. It was hard to control the violent thoughts that arose during any mention of that man. But there are other more important matters . Sasuke forced himself to quickly wipe the few brief tears that spilled from his eyes. Let's see…how can I find out what is stored in this tablet . All of a sudden, the answer came to him in a flash. Sasuke felt the slow, deep thrum of power rising to life as he activated his ocular prowess. Instantly, his vision sharpened as threads of blue chakra emanating from the tablet appeared. Neatly chiseled kanji characters covering one fourth of the front end of the tablet sprung to existence. His breath was nearly taken away at how quickly his field of perception had changed. The realization caused a rush of euphoria to pulse through his bloodstream. What a majestic power the Sharingan is. I am truly blessed to possess it . Excited, Sasuke's eyes started skimming over the words of their own accord. Slowly, he adjusted to the dim light provided by the candles hanging on the walls while reading.
The Uchiha Clan is one of the most powerful clans in the world, its clan members enhanced by their infamous dojutsu, the Sharingan. Awakened by extreme stress or emotion in Uchiha, the Sharingan grants the user power far beyond an ordinary shinobi.
He almost rolled his eyes at the first two sentences, which provided such basic common sense information that was understood by every individual bearing the Uchiha name. Such trivialities could easily be skipped over in favor of the real treasure. Continuing on, he read the next few sentences.
These powers are classified into two main categories: the Eye of Insight and the Eye of Hypnotism. When a user possesses the power of the Eye of Insight, they are granted the ability to copy other ninjas' jutsu and perceive targets around them, while users possessing the power of the Eye of Hypnotism are able to control or trick other ninjas' psychological or environmental perception via hypnotization. The Sharingan is a powerful tool on its own, but the user can only access its full capacity when the visual prowess is activated in both eyes. With precise training and consistent use, the user can develop exceptional physical, mental, and spatial capacity, becoming stellar shinobi at a faster rate than non-Sharingan users.
The writing was concise, yet detailed. Already, Sasuke was learning facts about the Uchihas' visual abilities that he had not known before. Ordinary people who lacked the Sharingan could not possibly access this writing, yet he was now gaining truly extraordinary intelligence because of that power. Determined, he read through the rest of the writing.
Possessing the Sharingan can also provide the user the ability to control even nonhuman entities, notably the bijuu. Jinchuriki who are the vassals that house these bijuu are the primary controllers of these tailed beasts, but a Sharingan user can control the bijuu via hypnotization and even dictate their actions. Much of the visual prowess derived from the Sharingan is derived from the origin of jutsu itself at the time when shinobi began to exist long ago. Seeking stability, one god was divided into yin and yang, these opposing two acting together obtain all things in creation. Such combinations of yin and yang can be used to manipulate chakra in different ways, which then produces jutsu. Those with ocular prowess can master the art of genjutsu and enhance other areas such as ninjutsu, taijutsu, and kenjutsu. However, there is a higher level of Sharingan that can grant godlike powers that far exceed what the regular Sharingan can do: the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Sasuke's gaze faltered on the words "godlike powers." There's more that comes after this, isn't there? The writing hinted at a higher level of power after the Sharingan, but never clarified what those powers were or how to obtain them. The kanji simply stopped there. Sasuke bit his lip in frustration. If only I could read the rest of the text . He wondered if someone like Itachi could possibly access more of the hidden information in the stone tablet. A Mangekyo user was surely more capable than a regular Sharingan user, so perhaps there were secrets that were only made available to them. I'll have to wait until I awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan then . Slowly, Sasuke scanned the chamber one more time for any other new crevices to explore, then finding none, stooped to his knees in front of the tablet and bowed before the monument as a gesture of respect.
"I'll be back soon with more power," he murmured aloud. To avenge Mother, Father, and the entire clan . As Sasuke ascended the set of stairs leading back up to his father's meeting hall, his mind raced in multiple different directions. He could not simply sit around and wait for events to unfold as they were. There was work to be done. After he ate a quick dinner of rice and onigiri, he would head to sleep. Early next morning, he planned to explore the clan's extensive archives stored in the Uchiha depository three blocks away. Sasuke would collect all of the scrolls he could on the historical techniques passed down through his clan from both his father's study and that library. Knowledge was power, and he planned to leverage each piece of information that he collected to its maximum extent so that he could achieve his goal as fast as possible. Fingering around in his pocket for a kunai that did not exist, he imagined the expression of shock on Itachi's face the next time they met. Then, Sasuke would surely kill him.
…
Sasuke stumbled out of the old dingy wooden building that held the clan archives, exhausted from reading dozens of scrolls throughout the morning. A cloudless blue sky striking in its luminous appearance appeared before him, a striking contrast to the dusty, delicate pieces of parchment that he had been thumbing between. Even the print had been hard to read, since in the old days, ink had been expensive and thus the calligraphers had painted in small, loose strokes in order to save money. Even his vision hurt from reading the tiny kanji characters. Brushing an arm against his face, Sasuke hoisted the satchel higher on his shoulder. It was midafternoon, so there was still time to train, but he only had a few hours left before sunset commenced. Digging a roll of sashimi, cucumber, and egg sushi out of his bag, he took care to chew on the sticky rice for as long as possible, savoring the reward after a long day of perusing summoning methods, katon jutsu, and genjutsu manipulation techniques. After that visit, he felt that he'd learned twice as much as the bulk of what he had been taught at the Academy. Fishing out a small scroll tucked into his pocket, Sasuke began hastily reviewing its contents. Playtime was over; now it was time to put those techniques into action. Perhaps he could throw in some taijutsu practice and treetop chakra control at the end.
Detouring through the abandoned business district, he took an old side path that led behind the clan butchery towards the forest where the Uchiha training grounds were located. Purposefully inclining his head downwards so that the open air carcasses were out of his sight, he ambled his way up the steep hilly path. Breaking into the sea of sycamore trees, he continued muttering to himself what he had learned, attempting to memorize each and every piece of information. "You can use the Sharingan to deceive the enemy into seeing actions that occurred seconds ago in the past, so as to gain advantage over them in a fight. Training so that the difference between what you can perceive with your vision and your real time movements is minimized is a must. Shurikenjutsu and kunai throwing can be combined with the Sharingan in order to hit a greater number of targets at once." As he trekked over a long stretch of rocky incline, the forest canopy grew denser and denser, blocking out the sunlight to an increasing degree.
It was impossible to stop the flood of memories. Sasuke's heart numbed before he spotted the tree with the makeshift wooden target, where Itachi had first shown him how to throw a shuriken accurately. Drifting towards a flatter section of land, he spotted five or six targets strategically placed around a massive oak tree. That was where Itachi showed me how to hit multiple targets at once using the Sharingan . Sasuke's face darkened at the recollection and at the inevitable emotions that seemed to follow him around like angry spirits. But all of that is in the past. I can't let Mother and Father die in vain . A sudden burst of anger charged through his heart. I can train to become stronger than Itachi if I really try hard. I'll show him…what I'm made of .
Sasuke broke past the last stretch of trees where a large rock taller than his house faced him. But he abhorred being slowed down, so he channeled chakra into the soles of his sandals and made a mad dash towards the base. Leaping upwards, he flew up the side of the rock on foot and landed smoothly upon the summit, not pausing to look back. Before he reached the sizable clearing that was the centerpiece of the training ground, he spotted a crimson thread wrapped around one of the tree trunks. Is that? He did a double take. The golden sunlight which had made its way through the tree branches clearly highlighted the unmistakable red color. It was even more striking than the bloody color of the dusk sky so that Sasuke had no choice but to notice it.
A sudden image of a dark haired man bearing the uchiwa symbol, face partially obscured by shadow, flashed in his mind. The cool scent of moss, the sight of the sun setting beneath the horizon, a strong voice advising him to honor his clan, it all came back to him. "There is always a place you can come back to by following the trail of crimson. As a link between the living and the dead, I will guide you, so do not forget your roots."
The feeling of fierce longing washed over him like a raging waterfall. He did not know if Izuna was still even there, but if there was possible solace to be found in a fellow Uchiha, Sasuke needed it right now. Long internal turmoil and external indifference had weakened his weary spirit. Perhaps even worse than the loneliness that ate away at his will to keep going was the empty, pitying looks of the villagers whenever he left the Academy or went to buy groceries. The second he felt their sympathetic gazes upon him, Sasuke would wish to disappear from this world altogether. All dignity that he might have had was sucked away under reactions from strangers that were out of his control. Frankly, he felt disgusted by their presumption that they could possibly understand him or even use him as a tool with which to soothe guilt for any sins they might have committed in the past. Some villagers spoke to him as if he was a broken bird during the rare times anyone deigned to interact with him; otherwise, they purposefully put a barrier between themselves and him in order to remove an unnecessary burden from their lives. Sasuke suspected that secretly, some of them viewed him as beneath them after the massacre. To everyone in Konoha, it was imperative to trust that the shinobi within its borders would protect the civilians within, and when that invisible rule was broken, the blame unconsciously fell upon the one who had suffered the most as a result. Either way, their patronizing attitude sickened him and he went out of his way to avoid interactions with most other villagers unless it was absolutely required.
His fists clenched. So many things were out of his control. He needed to get his pride back. But there was at least a chance that he could go looking for someone he could trust…someone who long ago had made him a promise. The opportunity to finally experience genuine warmth again was too much of a temptation. Throwing all second thoughts aside, Sasuke found himself diverging off of the main path to follow the trail of string, shoes crushing daisy blossoms and snapping fallen tree branches in half. It takes seven trees to reach it, seven strings symbolizing the seven days it takes for a person's soul to cross over to the afterlife . Before he knew it, he had reached the border of the same burial ground that he had visited almost a year ago. Despite the time that had passed, the graves still looked well managed, a slight difference being that the cucumber and eggplant offerings placed at the base of the headstones looked slightly more moldy than before. Somehow, less light always managed to reach this particular part of the forest, despite there being a clear view to the sky from the trees that had been cleared to accommodate the burial ground. It brought a rather foreboding touch to an already sacred place.
"Hello?" Sasuke called out, voice cracking hoarsely from disuse. Stepping past the numerous rows of stone markers, he trodded silently until he arrived at the marker where he had first met Izuna. "Is anyone there?" Silence answered him. "If you're there, it's me, Sasuke. I've come back."
In the distance, crows cawed. The sound of their wings flapping in the distance made the hairs on Sasuke's neck stand up on edge. "It has been a year since the last time I came here. I'm sorry I didn't bring any offerings this time. Please forgive me. I will bring the proper foods next time, I promise." He bowed slightly to prove that his sentiments were honest.
A tall presence flickered behind him, causing him to jump. "I haven't seen any visitors lately, not even the clan elders who regularly visit," said a deep voice.
Turning around, Sasuke saw the same handsome, shrewd-looking figure as before. Still youthful, the man's long obsidian hair waved gently with the wind and his porcelain skin gleamed paler than ever. The same old fashioned tunic rested upon the man's shoulders and Sasuke knew for a fact that the uchiwa symbol was still painted on the back. It was certainties like these that brought peace to his heart, at least for the time being. Bowing slightly, he bent his spine at a slight angle in order to show respect to his senior. But when he looked up, it was the midnight black eyes that peered into his face as emotionless as ever. From his studies at the Academy, Sasuke knew that shinobi were supposed to conceal their emotions in order to complete the mission as flawlessly as possible, but Izuna truly appeared to have mastered the art of outward calmness as easily as breathing.
Relief overflowed in him at the sight of the spirit. "Izuna!" Despite not having cracked a single smile in weeks, Sasuke's eyes crinkled as his mouth lopped into a grin. "I'm so happy…to see you." He took a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you." His chin trembled and before he knew it, soft tears were trickling down his cheeks. A proud shinobi should never show any emotion, especially weakness. He bowed his head in humiliation. It was the one teaching that his father had drilled into his head, at least implicitly. As the clan head, his father had always put forth a confident, dignified image towards the rest of the clan. From the time he was little, Sasuke had known that he was expected to do the same as the second son of the Uchiha clan head. It was a rule that had never been questioned.
The elder Uchiha's voice softened. "Who did you come here to mourn, boy?"
It shocked Sasuke how easily Izuna read his intent, but then again, he supposed that Izuna, being a once great ninja, had his own way to hunt secrets from people. But how could he get the words out? His stomach spasmed in fear at the thought of Izuna's fury. Staring at the trampled grass beneath his shoe soles, running in his head over and over the terrible words that he would have to utter, Sasuke silently prayed that he would receive at least a semblance of mercy when he delivered the tragic news. It was the first time he had felt so directly threatened by another physical presence ever since the night of the massacre. Our entire clan was murdered by my older brother…all except me. My older brother betrayed us all. My mother and father…they're all dead. I couldn't defend them because I'm weak. I'm the only one who survived…because I'm weak. I'm not even worthy to be alive. His cheeks burned in humiliation at the last thought.
"I said, speak ." Sasuke jumped at the harsh command. "Stand tall like a proper warrior and look only at me."
Forcing his spine to be straight as a stick, Sasuke looked straight into the midnight black eyes. "Forgive my insolence, Izuna-san." He had been so startled at the man's strict tone that the honorific had come out naturally without a second thought. "However." The image of his mother and father's blood stained corpses swam around in his mind. "My brother killed our clan and I'm the only one who survived." The tears broke out of him like a dam. "I was running home after a late night of training and I found so many dead bodies littering our clan compound. I was so scared, I thought to myself, 'I have to warm Mother and Father,' but by the time I got to our house, Brother had already murdered them in cold blood. Then - then - with his Mangekyo'' - Sasuke choked at the recollection - "He put me into a genjutsu where he forced me to watch them all die all over again for forty-eight hours straight. When I woke up, I knew that I had to save them, so I ran after him. He told me that I am weak and that if I want to avenge the clan, I must hate him and become more powerful. And that I must obtain the same eyes that he has."
The instant Sasuke finished talking, Izuna's face had hardened into a stone mask. "The murderer is the boy with tear troughs who came to rescue you the last time, correct?"
Sasuke nodded helplessly.
"You say 'killed the clan'? How many dead?" The elder Uchiha's eyes were turning colder by the instant.
Sasuke gulped. "All of them."
Izuna stared down at him impassively. "But you are here. Why?"
That's what I want to understand myself . "He didn't let me die." Sasuke hung his head in shame and exhaled shakily. "I shouldn't be here."
"It was only a matter of time until the Uchiha perished," Izuna muttered quietly.
Sasuke's head shot up. "W-what?"
Obsidian irises had morphed into a familiar black and red magatama pattern. "With these Senju overlords, it was only a matter of time until the Uchiha were eliminated. I knew this was going to happen from the time this cursed village was founded. I warned Brother not to accept the offer Hashirama gave him, but he did just that. As a result, fewer and fewer people came back each year to tend to these graves. The only ones who did were elderly or middle aged relics who had grown up under the shadow of the Warring States Period. I can only presume that the young forgot about these graves or did not care, dedicating themselves to the vision of the village's future. The key to one's continuity lies in one's past. Which is why someone like your brother must have been caught in the clutches of the village's darkness."
"What - what do you mean, the village's darkness?" Sasuke stammered.
"It began a long time ago when the Senju and Uchiha clans were constantly at war. As an Uchiha, you already know this, but our clan and theirs were the two most powerful clans in the world at that point. We were always struggling against each other to come out on top. So naturally, one side needed to win. That was the point of the peace deal that Hashirama offered Madara, so that the Senju could take control once and for all."
"I don't understand," Sasuke shouted. "The history we learned in the Academy was that Madara and Hashirama mutually agreed to the terms of the peace. No one forced it on anyone else. Madara chose to defect from the village. He chose to stake it out on its own. I don't think the village can be blamed for that."
Izuna's gaze narrowed at him. "Name the first leader of this…village."
That's easy , Sasuke thought. "Hashirama Senju."
"Then?"
"Tobirama Senju."
"And finally, who is the third and current Hokage?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi." Sasuke tilted his head at Izuna, wondering what the point Izuna was trying to make was.
Izuna crossed his arms. "So as you can see from what we just discussed, every Hokage thus far has been a Senju or had strong ties with the Senju. I can only suppose the third person you named, although not bearing the Senju surname, inevitably had some sort of ample connection with his Senju predecessor. These Senju had the perfect opportunity to present true amiability towards the Uchiha and build a system where each clan shared equal power, which is what I believe my brother imagined, but instead they hoarded all of the power to themselves. Thus, they built an empire upon their own nepotism while slowly stealing the prestige that the Uchiha have been building up for centuries. I have no doubt that there were Senju spies in the midst who took note of the Uchiha's weaknesses and agents who manipulated those weaknesses to benefit themselves. Like filthy dogs, they always were and always will be, those Senju. I can already see that you too have been influenced by their lies through that education you have received. Remember, Sasuke, history is always taught by the winners. And that history can include lies ."
"So you are saying…" Sasuke put a finger to his chin and scrunched an eyebrow. "...that the Senju have been lying about our clan to make us look bad. And using that to subjugate us?"
"Precisely." Izuna looked impressed. "You are young but you catch on quickly as a true Uchiha does." Sasuke blushed at the compliment. His father had never complimented him in such a direct manner before and neither had Itachi. But Sasuke sensed that when Izuna was not as reticent about his true feelings towards people.
"From a young age, your brother was brainwashed by the Senju-controlled system in order to turn against his own people. He was then probably manipulated as an agent to do the village's dirty bidding. To them, he was a pawn to use and dispose of, just like the rest of the Uchiha Clan. It was too late to save them a long time ago." Izuna sighed. "If I had only stayed alive long enough to handle things properly, it wouldn't have ended up like this. But alas, those accursed Senju ."
"My brother…a pawn?" Sasuke's head vaguely ached. Secretly, he wondered if Itachi really did feel any guilt for what he had done, then forced himself to brush aside the traitorous question. He had to stay loyal to his parents' and the Uchiha's memory. It was the last and most important filial duty that he could perform in their name. Itachi had betrayed them and that was that.
There were a few minutes of long pause as the elder Uchiha seemed to ruminate on the ghosts of his past and Sasuke thought numbly of all of the events that had passed ever since their clan had been murdered.
Abruptly, Izuna spoke. "What are you going to do from this point onwards, Sasuke?" Sasuke's eyes widened at the direct calling of his name instead of "child" or "boy."
"You are the sole survivor of our clan; you are a man now, so you must make the decision for yourself. I am no longer alive, simply a spirit, so I cannot force you to go against your wishes. However, no matter where you go in this world, you cannot escape your roots. I would advise that it is best to maintain a strong connection to our heritage. Especially because you are alone, you are in a vulnerable position now and there is evil out there that will want you solely for your prestigious bloodline. There is no running away from the fact. You must protect yourself with what is left."
Sasuke stared apathetically at moss growing by the foot of a grave marker. Despite the hostile environment it was stuck in, doomed to compete with other weeds for the same meager amount of resources and sunlight, it had still somehow found a way to survive despite the hardship. He thought of himself collapsed on a heap on the ground, sobbing relentlessly with his eyes swollen from a month's worth of crying. His eyelids, inflamed over and over again from the constant heartache, were nothing more than balls of red swollen flesh at this point. Growing up, he had only dreamed of beating Itachi to gain Father's approval and becoming a worthy member of the Konoha Military Police Force to bring honor upon their clan. Now that everyone was gone, never to come back, he literally had nothing to his name. Just the unerasable imprint of tragedy and emptiness. His life was a picture of wretchedness. The image of his mother's gentle smile wavered and crashed into a million tiny pieces, while his father's once stern face leaked blood from the same lips that had once delivered the acknowledgement that Sasuke had so desperately desired. His brother had torn everything apart and left him with absolutely nothing. You have no choice but to accept what you've been given , a mirage of Itachi chanted. You are a weak, pathetic runt so you must live with that reality forever . Just die and don't bring any more shame upon the clan . You have forever stained the Uchiha name with your inferior capability . You are unworthy .
Everything was collapsing around him. There was no stability to cling to anymore, just a suffocating empty darkness that pressed an insurmountable weight against him. Something cracked in his psyche. He was losing consciousness. Izuna's voice echoed faintly in the distance, carrying overtones of cold elegance and deliberate intent. "For so long, the Uchiha have suffered at the hands of Senju greed and arrogance. Now, there are only three of us left: a ghost, a boy, and a murderer. Our future has been stolen from us. We can only trust in our power now - the power of the Sharingan."
The translucent hand placed on his shoulder jolted Sasuke out of his tunnel vision. Izuna wore an expression of extreme weariness. "You have suffered enough. And now you will have to bear the burden of the dead. It is a heavy burden."
His head was spinning. Everything was moving too fast. Sasuke covered his face with his hands to still the chaos. A hatred raging like a thousand flames consumed his heart. All he could do was live. He was trapped in the world of the living, separated from the people he loved the most by a force more powerful than any jutsu or bloodline limit. In his mind, he was screaming, screaming at that painful crack on the uchiwa symbol, that final agonizing killing blow. Eventually, moss would grow atop that wall, just like it was slowly devouring the graves here. In a few years, the Uchiha would be completely forgotten, left to rot as their Senju conquerors lived on.
History is taught by the winners . The dead cannot speak .
Izuna's clear and calm voice sliced through the silence. "You are not alone, Sasuke. I am right here supporting you. You still have a choice. And if you so choose, we can avenge the Uchiha Clan together. Your brother will fall by your own hand and Uchiha glory will be restored. We will regain our rightful position as a noble and exalted clan.
"The road ahead will be long and difficult. Much blood will be shed in order to ensure the end of Senju corruption, perhaps even your own. But the end is worth striving for despite the means. It has been long enough that I have languished in this dusty old burial ground among the ghosts of the lost and the forgotten. My place lies in the annals of history, safeguarding the Uchiha. And you, Sasuke, will be the centerpiece of this plan. Do you understand? The Senju must shed blood and power for what they've done to us. You must spill blood in order to tear down the rot that they have built into this village, Sasuke. This is the only way to find peace."
The sunset was just about to commence. Sasuke could tell by how suddenly the light seemed to be sucked out of the forest and be replaced by the darkness. It mirrored the vortex that surfaced when his brother's eyes had activated the Mangekyo Sharingan. Kaleidoscope Wheel . Sasuke snorted ironically. A kaleidoscope of tears would suffice…the tears of the villagers and everyone else who had backstabbed the Uchiha.
How many generations of Uchiha have fought and died protecting our clan from that evil that seeks to crush our spirit? The heavenly figure Susano'o seemed to soar above Sasuke's head at that moment, armor shimmering in the rapidly disappearing daylight and mythical sword beckoning towards an unrealized grandiosity. No matter how he would try to forget that excellence, it could never be taken from him. It was embedded in the blood that ran through his very veins via the generations of ancestors who had listened to the same story from their parents. On the ground, Amaterasu harnessed the power of the flaming sun to burn those who would wish to harm them to ashes, while Tsukuyomi gazed at the moon finding peace in the darkness. Divine power ran through his Uchiha blood; it enriched him and made him stronger.
"Izuna-san, I will not go home," Sasuke said quietly. "I have a duty here, a duty that I cannot avoid. It will follow me to the ends of the earth if I do not fulfill it. Therefore, I must dedicate my life to it, even if I die trying."
He would not let his clan fade into obscurity. He would preserve its legacy, a proud and noble kin who endeavored towards heavenly might in every breath they took.
"Then so be it," said Izuna.