Sasuke was enraged. He had just learned the truth about Uchiha Itachi – and from a man who claimed to be Madara. Itachi had been working for Kohona all along, and he had joined the Akatsuki as a spy. This whole time, his life had been a lie. Had he wasted three years for the greed of power, to complete what he lived for? He trained with a creepy man-snake for three years, his desire no other than to kill his older brother.
The fact that he had wasted three years on training, then finding out that his brother was actually a good guy with good intentions all along completely pissed him off. Not only was he mad at himself now, but he was mad at the people who used him and ruined his life – Kohonagakure. He had chosen to leave his home for the sake of revenge. For the sake of his family.
If he hadn't been consumed with revenge, and if he didn't leave in the first place, who knows what great pains he could have avoided? He would've lived a better life. He had constantly been feeling hints of regret every now and then, but he was able to shut them out. Doing that, he piled up all of that regret in his heart and mind, always shutting it away and keeping it locked up so that it wouldn't be visible.
But at that moment, all he could feel was regret. For a second, his heart turned warm, and he actually felt remorse. He regrets leaving Kohona, and his friends. He regrets making Sakura cry, and suffer so much pain because of him. And most of all, he regrets killing his brother, without knowing the true story.
His heart hardened, all the warmth suddenly escaping, his heart and nature colder than before. Kohona...it needed to be destroyed. It was their entire fault. He needed revenge.
Revenge...
It was the very thing that consumed him, the very thing he lived for. An idea popped into his head. Before, he would never have thought of it, but the more he thought about it, the more he considered it. He was going to destroy Kohona, and make sure no person or building would be left standing. Although it was cruel, the thought pleased him – call him a sadist if you could. This would be his new Quest. Not only was he an avenger for his clan anymore, but he was an avenger for both his clan, and his brother.
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Ever since he had learned the truth about Uchiha Itachi, he took it upon himself to change things. The first thing that needed to change was the team name. He figured before that 'Team Hebi' was a fitting name, since 'Hebi' meant snakes, and they were an elite team from a snake's lair. Now, Sasuke wanted his team to have a more...powerful name. He needed a powerful animal, one as swift and cold-heared as him. On the food chain, what could top a snake? Of course – an eagle. Eagles were regal and graceful, but deadly. He had decided; team Hebi was no more. The new team, Team Taka, was emerging from the shadows, ready to swoop down and kill its new victim; Konohagakure. .
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Who cares about the children in Kohona? Who cares about Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, and his friends? Who cares about all those loving families in the village? Sasuke certainly didn't. The only thing he cared about was destroying Kohona. He sensed that Karin saw a change in his chakra, because she wasn't fooling around him anymore. She almost looked...scared of him. He wondered if Sakura would be scared of him now.
Wouldn't that mean peace? No more annoying girls swarming him anymore...he could finally relish the peace and quiet!
Haha, just kidding! He had a village to destroy, and people to kill. The first person he'd have to kill is Sakura, or maybe Naruto. Both were nuisances. All they did was distract him, make him feel weird emotions, and let the feeling of regret take over. Regret was a pain to deal with. Whether Sakura loved him or not, he wouldn't hesitate anymore.
Love. Warmth. Kindness. He couldn't even say those words anymore, nor could he stand them. They were all sweet. Yuck, sweets. Disgusting. Yet...some part of him wanted to feel those emotions again. He wanted to grab onto them and embrace them, never letting them go. The only place he had truly felt those emotions was...Kohona. He had held his happiest memories there. It would be a shame to destroy his home...the place where he was happiest...
Oh, great. Didn't he just decide not to hesitate anymore? What was wrong with him? All of a sudden he didn't want to destroy Kohona.
What the actual hell, brain? He angrily questioned himself. He decided that he wanted to have a word with the previous Hokages, and see what they think. Should he destroy Kohona or not?
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"I...killed Itachi to avenge the Uchiha clan," Sasuke said. "Afterwards, I learned the truth from Tobi and Danzo, and I leaned towards swearing vengeance on the Leaf. However, I want to hear it straight from your mouth. Everything regarding Itachi."
"So it came to that..." The third Hokage grimaced. "Not only did I have him kill his brethren, I also had him bear the false charge of a traitor, and keep tabs on the Akatsuki all by himself."
"From the time he was a child," He continued, "Itachi paid attention to the teachings and signs of our predecessors that no one else gave heed to. He was a sensitive child who understood our village's past, and our shinobi. And perhaps due to that, the trappings of a clan never bound Itachi. He was able to think ahead about the future, of the shinobi, and of the village, and constantly had misgivings regarding those futures. Even at the age of seven, he thought like a Hokage. We left everything to Itachi in his hands alone...and he executed his missions perfectly. He killed his entire clan and stopped a revolt. Prevented a coming war all by himself. He even infiltrated the Akatsuki as a spy to protect the village, on the condition that I protect you within the village." He finally ended.
Sasuke felt a stab of pain in his heart. "So it's all true..." He trailed off. He was deeply saddened. He couldn't believe it...he couldn't handle it. Itachi was always a touchy subject for him, even now.
After that, the second Hokage, Tobirama, went on about how he knew this would happen someday, because the Uchiha clan was a clan of evil. That hit Sasuke – hard. No one would disrespect his clan, whether it be the second Hokage or not. After all his brother went through, he vowed to shut the mouths of those who were unworthy to talk smack about the Uchiha clan.
"What did you mean about the Uchiha clan being possessed by evil?" Sasuke questioned, trying his best to suppress his anger.
"There used to be a thought that in contrast to the Senju clan, who based their strength in love as opposed to jutsu." He began, "The basis of the Uchiha clan's strength was the power of their jutsu. However, the truth is actually different."
Sasuke's eyes widened. What exactly was he trying to say?
"There is no clan that feels deeper love than the Uchiha, and that is why the Uchiha have suppressed it and sealed it away." He ended grimly.
"What do you mean?!" Sasuke yelled. The Uchiha felt love greater than any other clan? Does that explain his hesitance? His regretfulness?
"Once a member of the Uchiha clan knows love, it's almost as if all of his or her checked emotions are released. They awaken a profound love and power, that exceeds even the Senju's."
"But why is that a problem?" Suigetsu inquired. "It should help things go smoothly with the Senju's too...this super-strong power of love, right?"
"Except it is quite problematic," Tobirama sighed. "This great power hides within it – the possibility of going out of control. Once an Uchiha who has known love loses that deep love, it is replaced by an even stronger hate that changes them. I've seen it happen quite a few times. And that's when a special condition emerges."
"Condition?" Sasuke asked.
"When an Uchiha writhes in agony over the loss of a great love or disappointment in themselves, a unique chakra is released inside their brain and reacts with optic nerves and changes the appearance of that person's eyes. The eyes reflect the heart. This is what we call the Sharingan."
So that explains it...He realized.
Everytime someone he loved was killed, Sasuke felt a new and profound rage inside him.
Sakura...you're my only hope. Save me before it's too late.
(Damn...that took a while to write! If you haven't noticed, these are actual lines from the series. Well, I hope you enjoyed it, and always remember to review! To an author, reviews and feedback are like giving a pile of dangos to Itachi.)