Ruby liquid. Hazy light. Sin. Meticulous disassembly. Flames of passionate hatred. The crimson gaze of death.
These were the things the boy had lived by for the past several months. Each day, he would drag the boy with him to train. The child was proving to be a suitable pawn for Project Tsuki no Me. Tobi smirked behind his mask, watching as the boy decimated the group of rogue shinobi conspiring against "Lord Pein" outside Amegakure. It was incredible how far a simple boy could go when "enticed" with the right words.
The first couple of weeks with Izuna were unfruitful, much to Tobi's irritation. The boy knew how to push his buttons in the exact same way that Bakakashi did when he was still Obito. It disgusted him how innocently pure the boy still was despite the rough conditions he had grown up with. Izuna also had little to no interest in following the way of the shinobi, purposely finding methods to mess up his training regimen while still completing them as per Tobi's deal.
It was then Tobi decided enough was enough. He needed to corrupt the child. He wanted to peel the brat apart; to destroy everything Izuna cared about or believed in. In order to do that, he had to open old scars and carve even deeper incisions into the boy's psyche.
He could remember that day clearly and he made sure that it was a day Izuna would never forget.
Darkness.
There was nothing but darkness in the room and it frightened him, but he had wanted to do this for a while now. Nothing would stop him this time!
He struggled to lift himself through the small opening. He eventually managed to get through, though he was left panting afterwards. He shivered at the cold air in the room, the pitch blackness unnerving him even more. He pulled out the flashlight he had brought with him, clicking the thing on. He peeked around, shining the light on all the dusty boxes and containers. He slowly stood up, tiptoeing past the mess.
The attic was such a mysterious place. All sorts of doodads and thingamajigs were lying about. He smiled when he spotted their Christmas decorations, all tightly packed in an organized fashion. He continued his plodding walk, taking his time to observe the wonderful land of knickknacks before him. He was so engrossed with looking around that he ran into a large object. He let out a small "oof" before his butt landed on the wood floor. He looked oddly at the object. It was a trunk and there was a weird white stick thingy with commas on it lying against the wall behind the trunk. Having never seen these objects before, curiosity got the better of him. He decided to take a quick look inside the chest.
When he opened the lid, he was confused. It was filled with clothes. However, these weren't the ordinary clothes he would see his Mommy wearing. These looked like they'd be worn by a big, strong man like the ones he'd see when he was with his Mommy when they went out somewhere. He took out the weird red metal thingy on top so he could get to the clothes under it. It was heavy, so it clunked loudly when it hit the floor. He dug through the clothes, wondering if there was anything hiding beyond the layers of fabric. His hands touched something super soft, so he snatched it. He tugged it out, holding it before him. It was long. Was it a robe of some sort? It looked too fancy to be a robe. He tossed the thing aside, going back to his digging. He continued his search, hoping to find something worthwhile.
He touched something thin and sticky.
He immediately grabbed it and took it out. He shined the flashlight on it, cocking his head to one side in curious confusion. It was a photo. It still looked relatively new, but he knew it had to be an old picture. He did not recognize either person in the photo. The girl on the right seemed to remind him of his Mommy, but he did not know who the man standing next to her was.
"Izuna Matthew Price!"
He let out a loud cry of fright, quickly turning around and shining his flashlight into his mother's face. She looked angry. She turned a lightbulb on above them, lighting up the room. She came up to him, looking down at him in disapproval.
"What are you doing up here?" she demanded. "You should be in bed. You have school tomorrow."
"I was…I just wanted…" he trailed off. "Looking around?"
His Mommy sighed, giving him an amused smile. "Curiosity is going to get the better of you one of these days, Izuna. If you wanted to know what was up here, you could have asked me to show you."
"Sorry, Mommy," he apologized. "I won't do it again."
She knelt down, ruffling up his spiky locks. "Come on. It's bedtime for you, my little ninja."
"Wait, Mommy!" he blurted out. "Can you tell me who they are?"
"Who?"
He pointed to the picture. "Them."
Her eyes widened at the photo. They then lowered, a sad look appearing on her face. She sat down next to him, pulling him into her side and wrapping an arm around his form. She held the picture in front of them.
"This is me and Daddy," she explained quietly. "This was taken a long time ago by Auntie Bethany, way before you were born."
"That's Daddy?" he said in amazement. "He looks like me!"
"That's right. You look a lot like your father. You also act like him sometimes too."
"I do?"
"You always want things to be perfect and you deeply care about those you love."
"You and Daddy look happy," Izuna noted.
"Yes…" his mother answered sadly. "We were very happy. But some things happened and Daddy had to leave. He's gone now, but I'll always remember the times we shared together and I'll always treasure the gift he gave me."
"What gift?"
"You, Izuna. The greatest gift he left me was you."
Izuna smiled. "Daddy sounds really nice."
"Yes. Underneath the rough surface, he was a truly kind person."
"You think he'd love me?"
Her grip on him increased slightly. "Of course he would."
He took the picture back from her, hugging it. "Daddy…"
"Don't be sad, Izuna. One day, somewhere out there, I'm sure we'll meet him again."
"I hope we do…I miss him…"
"Izuna?"
"Sweepy…" he muttered, slouching against his mother's side.
"Nennen korori yo, okorori yo," she tenderly sang as he slowly drifted off to sleep. "Bouya wa yoi ko da, nenne shina. Bouya no omori wa, doko e itta? Ano yama koete, sato e itta. Sato no miyage ni, nani morotta? Denden taiko ni, shou no fue."
He awoke from the dream, frowning at the ceiling. He thought any happy memories had been locked away. He clenched his arms, lowering his head and letting the tears fall.
No matter how much he denied it, no matter how many times he convinced himself he didn't care…he still craved her comforting embrace. He sold his soul to the devil and there was no turning back. He wasn't an innocent child anymore and there would be no mercy for the actions he had committed. He had to forget about her. As long as she was safe, he didn't care how much he was broken apart and put back together.
Everything he did…was for her.
"Izuna. I have a mission for you."
"What do you want?" Izuna snapped at Tobi.
He felt his eyes widen when the man told him what he was supposed to do. His heart beat rapidly in his chest as the dark words carved themselves into his mind.
"You want me to what!?"
"I won't repeat myself, Izuna," Tobi stated, the red gaze of his Sharingan burning through Izuna's soul.
"I am NOT going to kill someone over cruddy politics!" Izuna shouted indignantly. "All politicians are corrupt assholes, anyway. Besides, you're strong enough to do it. Why do I have to do your job for you; other than the reason being that you're too goddamn lazy to?"
"I believe you're ready to take the next step," was Tobi's wry answer. "Since you seem to think my methods are a joke, I simply want to see the fruit of your labors. Show me you are a capable shinobi and I may consider letting the energetic one go."
The boy immediately tensed up. Tobi smirked, knowing he had gotten the teen's attention with that lie. With the child's loyalty wrapped firmly around his fingers, he could pull the strings with the greatest of ease. Izuna silently followed him out into the land of endless rain. They traveled a great distance and it was soon evident to the child that the land had been devastated. He could see the pity in the teen's eyes as they passed by decrepit ruins that were once villages and starving families huddling together under stone covers, shivering from the cold rain.
"It's a tragedy," Tobi stated, bringing Izuna out of his reverie. "These people were devastated by war, famine, and disease. They weren't involved in the affairs of the larger villages, yet they were the ones who paid the greatest price. While the strong survive and flourish, they leave the weak to wither and die in obscurity. Men, women, even children are not spared from the catastrophes that plague this world."
"Shit happens…" Izuna answered quietly. "It's not like I can do anything about it…"
"There is. You simply choose not to see it."
"I told you before that I have no intention in helping you with this wacko plan of yours!" Izuna shouted angrily. "What makes you think one man can destroy all the evil in this world? It's just not possible!"
"There is a way, but I cannot do it alone, Izuna. I need your help if the plan is to succeed."
"Why me and not some other guy!?"
"You are one of the last surviving members of our once great Uchiha Clan. Of my two eyes, you are the only one I can cultivate at the moment. The other one is of…questionable loyalty. It will be some time before that one can be persuaded to the cause."
"I'm only loyal because you have my family! I don't even have a choice in the matter!"
"That is why I am giving you this mission. I want to see where you stand as a shinobi. You can choose to flee and escape with your life at the cost of your family's or you can stay under my tutelage. It's all up to you, Izuna."
The boy started twirling a strand of his long hair. "Just tell me where to go so I can get this shit done and over with."
"Very well. As you wish."
So he had brought the teen to the building where a supposed "uprising" was to be planned. The boy had snuck in without a problem. How Tobi gleefully watched in sadistic pleasure as the child squirmed in place when he was to take the lives of people who were there. Izuna had refused to kill the family, despite his mission objective. The boy's mother had really driven her morals into him.
The father had pinned Izuna down, knife raised to kill. The next few moments surprised even Tobi. Two flashes of red had caught his eye. Blood splattered the hardwood flooring and the steel of a sword had pierced through the man's heart. The body limped over, causing the wife and children to scream in terror. Izuna's expression was frozen in a state of shock and fear. Tobi could just imagine the viscous feel of the blood running down the teen's arm and the small splatters that nicked his face. Wide eyes were quivering as they stared at their handiwork.
Izuna dropped his sword, staring at his shaking bloodstained hands. He had started hyperventilating as the realization of what he had done dawned upon him. Suddenly, a twisted grin spread across his face. His eyes locked upon the remaining victims. He pulled his sword from the father and turned on the rest of the family. He beheaded the children, probably wanting their deaths to be swift and painless. He took his time with the mother, stabbing her in all the places he knew he could hurt without killing her. It was a gruesome sight to witness, yet Tobi took pleasure in it. Once he knew Izuna had finished the job, he entered the room the boy was in. His merciless rush of adrenaline had diminished, leaving behind a shell of the child he once was. Tobi almost took pity on him.
Almost.
"Why are you crying?" he demanded.
"I killed someone…I killed someone….I killed someone…" was the mantra Izuna kept spewing out, his eyes still focused on the fresh corpses before him.
"Yes. And you did it spectacularly."
"I killed them…and I enjoyed it…" Izuna muttered in horror. "Why…?"
"It's in your blood. You are the son of a shinobi, a shadow warrior destined to a life of bloodshed and death. You were cursed with this fate from the very beginning with no hope of ever escaping it. After all, your eyes have etched this scene into your mind forever. You will never forget this day, no matter how much you try to run away from it."
"I…"
"Embrace the darkness, Izuna. In the end, it will only make you strong. Take your inner demons and make the ones who truly deserve to suffer experience the horrors you have witnessed. Even the actions you have committed today have made you stronger."
"HOW!? TELL ME HOW!? WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT I HAD TO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE FOR IT!? I'M TIRED OF LIES!"
"Your bloodline has been sleeping all this time. It has now awakened and, with it, your true potential has been unlocked."
Izuna stared at the bloodied weapon, his gaze as hard as the steel blade before him. Instead of storm grey, his eyes were as crimson as the liquid that stained the sword.
"The world doesn't have to be this way. With your help, we can change not only this world, but yours as well. Peace will finally be attained. You can finally have the chance to live your life with the father you never knew and your mother won't have to agonize over his absence. You can have that chance to start over… if you help me."
Izuna stood up, his bangs shadowing his eyes. He continued to stare at the blade in his hand. Tobi watched as the boy knelt down before him, Sharingan eyes with a single tomoe in both looked up at him.
"Then teach me how I can change this world…Sensei."
Tobi smiled behind his mask. The first step had been accomplished.
From that day forward, Izuna had taken his shinobi training seriously. He excelled faster than Tobi thought possible despite being a half-blood. Perhaps it was because his father was one of the greatest shinobi in history coupled with his Uchiha lineage. The teen had mastered the art of genjutsu, excelled with his clan's Fire Style techniques, but had very poor physical capabilities and his taijutsu was pathetic. Tobi wasn't surprised. There were no training methods in the boy's world that allowed him to possess the same physical endurance or experience as those shinobi that had been training their entire lives for the occupation.
He watched as Izuna swiftly killed each swordsman once he caught them in his genjutsu. For those he didn't get to in time, the genjutsu often broke their minds and were reduced to the driveling fools they truly were. Tobi often wondered what exactly Izuna made them see. The teen's answer still perplexed him. Whatever "haunted animatronics" were, they were apparently terrifying and worked well as a way to frighten those who managed to escape from Izuna's genjutsu.
The boy was still no match for his superiors. If Izuna should meet Itachi in battle, he had no doubt Izuna would lose. He still needed more time to train the boy before he could be introduced to the Akatsuki.
He had already been forcing Izuna through a twisted obstacle course to build up the boy's endurance and pain tolerance. Stamina was slowly being increased through a strict exercise regimen that Zetsu had been more than helpful with. Lastly, weapons training was starting to become enjoyable for both parties. Like his father before him, Izuna had chosen the gunbai as his weapon of choice.
To this day, Izuna still referred to it as an "Ass Fan", which Tobi couldn't help but chuckle at.
Tobi descended from his perch, seeing Izuna lick the blood off his katana. Lazy Sharingan eyes rolled over towards him. Izuna lowered his blade, bowing before his teacher in respect.
"Sensei, I have done as you ordered."
"Good work," Tobi said. "You have done well, my student."
"Is there anything else you want me to do?"
"Actually…I believe it's time I tell you what you have wanted to know your entire life."
"Sensei?"
"It's time you know about your father."
Izuna's eyes widened. A spark of wonder twinkled in the crimson orbs as Tobi turned his back to him. Izuna followed after him like a faithful puppy. Despite the corruption, Izuna still held the curiosity of a child. Those were the parts of the boy's soul Tobi could never reach and taint with the darkness of the world. Shinobi or not, he was still a son with no father to look up to. The best he had was Tobi.
"Your father was a prodigy; a shinobi unlike anything the Uchiha Clan had seen in years," Tobi began as he led Izuna across the landscape. "However, the times he lived in were unkind to him and his family."
"How so?" Izuna asked.
"He lived in a time of the clan wars. One was lucky to live to their late twenties during that time. Children were mercilessly sent into battle and lost their lives. Your father was one of those children, forced to grow up before his rightful time due to those wars. He lost his brothers to other clans, leaving only his baby brother to protect. He was your namesake."
"My uncle?"
"Your father wanted to change the state of the world. So the day he became the Head of the Uchiha, he struck a truce with his mortal enemies: the Senju. With their strength, they formed a hidden village where multitudes of people could live in safety. However, despite the truce, the Senju slowly took control of the village. Your father saw the growing danger the Senju posed to the Uchiha. He attempted to rally them, but they all refused to listen. Knowing no one would rise against the Senju with him, he left the village. When he became strong enough to combat the leader of the Senju, he returned to destroy what he deemed to be a threat to the Uchiha. However…he lost that battle. He met his end that day, leaving behind a child he had no knowledge of."
"So not even Daddy Dearest knew about me?"
"No, unfortunately. He died before he could hold you in his arms, but do not hate him for it. Hate the ones who killed him. Hate Hashirama Senju, those related to his despicable clan, and all those who believe in his ideology: the Will of Fire."
Izuna clenched his fists. "Are there any survivors?"
"Two. The Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure, the very village your father formed with Hashirama; the granddaughter of the late First Hokage: Tsunade Senju. The other is Naruto Uzumaki, a distant relative to the Senju through the Uzumaki Clan."
Hatred burned within the Sharingan eyes before him. "Sensei…do you think you can train me to become strong enough to kill them both?"
"Why do you want to kill them?" Tobi asked. "They have done nothing to you."
"Maybe not, but their blood is a stain upon this world. It disgusts me. Their lineage took my father from me. They took a man my mother loved away from her. They took a great leader away from his clan. You told me that the Hokage was the one who ordered the elimination of the Uchiha. It's time for us to return to favor.
"Izuna…"
"I'll make them pay. Every single person who associates with Hashirama Senju's ideals will suffer the same fate as their leader. I don't care if it kills me or if it's an impossible task. I will destroy everything I can up until I breathe my last breath."
"Spoken like a true Uchiha. You are definitely your father's legacy. He would be proud if he were alive to see you today."
"He already is."
Tobi blinked. "Oh?"
"You are the one who taught me to grow up and be a man. You helped me up every time I fell. You pushed me to overcome my limits. You have been more than just a teacher to me. Right now…you're the only one I can truly call 'Father'."
"…Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe you are ready for the next step."
"Next step?" Izuna asked.
"There is a group I have been gathering members for to support our cause. I believe you are ready to meet them and take on the responsibility of being a member. I can trust that you won't kill anyone who annoys you?"
"What's this group called?"
"The Akatsuki. It is called that because with it, we shall bring the dawn of a new era upon these blood-soaked lands."
"I see."
"However, this doesn't mean that your training with me is over. There is still much that you need to learn."
Izuna smirked deviously. "I wouldn't want it any other way…Father."
"Are you truly willing to put your life on the line for Project Tsuki no Me, Izuna?"
"I speak the truth, Sensei. I have seen it with my own eyes. You were right about everything. This world...is filled with nothing but mistakes and pain. I'm going to change everything or die trying. This...is my coup d'etat."
I'm soooooooooooooooo sorry for the long wait! My muse wasn't working with me again! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait again.
