Chapter 13 – Itachi's Story

Itachi: Tid doesn't-

Me: Itachi, stop. You are actually in this one.

Itachi: Really? Do you really mean it?

Me: Yes. I will take care of the disclaimer. I do not own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

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Later that night, after my sparring session with Applejack, Itachi and I were sitting on the couch in the living room discussing ways to improve our Jutsu.

"All I'm saying is if you apply change in Chakra nature you might be able to achieve the Burning Land Devastation Jutsu." I said to Itachi.

"Tid, that Jutsu is beyond my capabilities, and we both know it. I simply don't have enough Fire Style mastery like you do." He replied. "

You're just being modest." I said crossing my arms and leaning back.

"If you say so." Itachi said in a tone that told me he still didn't believe me.

"Look, if I'm a better ninja than you as you say, then how come I've-" I was interrupted by a knock on the door. I looked at Itachi.

"This isn't over." I said standing up. I walked over to the door and opened it, surprised to see the ponies standing on the other side, though I noticed one was missing. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked in confusion.

"We've come to talk to Itachi." Twilight replied. I looked over my shoulder at Itachi, who was still sitting on the couch, staring at us.

"Er, alright. Come in." I said stepping aside to let them in. "Thank you." Twilight said walking into the house, the others following.

As everyone entered I closed the door and joined them in the living room, taking a spot next to Itachi on the couch.

"So, where's Rarity?" I asked as everyone got settled in. Twilight was sitting on the two-seater with Fluttershy, who seemed incredibly uncomfortable. Applejack sat on the other side of Itachi, and Rainbow Dash hovered a few feet from the ground using her wings. Pinkie Pie stood not too far away, looking around excitedly.

"She said she had plans tonight, though I can't imagine where she'd go. She said she and Princess Cadence were going to do something together." Twilight replied.

"Princess Cadence? There's another Princess?" I asked incredulously. Twilight nodded.

"Not to mention Twilight's a Princess too." Rainbow Dash said. Just how many Princesses did they need?

"It's like the Feudal Lords in our world, only they're missing one." I whispered to Itachi in a tone low enough for the ponies not to hear. He made no comment.

"So, what is it you are here for?" Itachi asked.

"Well, we came to listen to your story." Twilight replied.

"My story?" He asked.

"Yeah, you know, the story of your life." She replied. Itachi said nothing. You could feel the tension in the room. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Alright," He said after a short silence. I looked at him in surprise.

"Itachi, are you sure?" I asked him leaning forward. Itachi's past was never brought up in our conversations, but we never needed to discuss it. After all, Itachi and I had gone through a lot of the same experiences. He nodded. I sighed and sat back in the couch, wrapping my arms around the back of it.

"Alright, it's your call." I said shrugging.

"Although, I'd like to show you my past, rather than just tell it." He said to them.

"Show us? How would you do that?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Through Genjutsu." He replied.

Twilight looked around at the others, each of them eagerly nodding their agreement. She looked at me, gauging my response to Itachi's decision to tell them his story. I tried to remain expressionless, as it was something that needed to know. She turned her attention back to Itachi.

"Okay, you can show us." She said.

"Then, look into my eyes." He said opening his eyes wide and showing off his Sharingan. They each did as they were asked, and so did I, just for the hell of it. And trust me, it was hell.

We stood in front of Itachi's house on a warm summer's night. The full moon illuminated the quiet village with its lustrous glow. The ponies looked around, trying to take in as much as they could before their attention was forced to the boy who then came to sit out upon the wooden landing. There sat a young Itachi, holding his baby brother, Sasuke Uchiha.

"This is me when I was only five years old, and that is my younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha." Itachi's voice said.

"Aww, he's so cute! Can I hold him? Can I? Can I?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.

"Pinkie, this is only an illusion. We cannot interact in any way with anything in this vision." I said.

"Aw, I wanted to hold the cute baby." She said, her ears drooping in disappointment.

Five...

"From a young age I had known of the casualties caused by the Third Shinobi World War." Itachi said.

Four...

"This knowledge traumatized me and I became a pacifist, despite my clan's adept battle and ocular prowess." Three...

"I was very adept at our clan's signature jutsu, the Fireball Jutsu, as well as the head of my class in the Ninja Academy. This brought me high praise from my elders."

Two...

"On this night I had been asked to care after my younger brother, as my parents were called to do something very important." One... "Little did I know that what was about to happen would change the world forever."

Zero.

There was an explosion somewhere near the outskirts of the village, one that shook the ground we stood on. The ponies looked in shock at the pillar of smoke that now rose into the air. Immediately the air began to fill with the sounds of alarms and sirens, many shinobi emerging from their homes to see what was going on. This night had been burned into the memories of everyone who was old enough to remember it. This was the night of the Nine Tail's attack on the Hidden Leaf Village. The massive creature could easily be seen from here, standing a massive five stories tall at the least. It was on all fours, its tails whipping about its body. He let out a roar, one that could be heard from half across the Fire Nation.

"What is that thing?!" Twilight asked in panic.

"That thing is Kurama, the Nine Tails and the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts." I replied staring at it. She looked at me.

"Tailed Beasts?" She asked. I nodded.

"I'll explain later. Right now, just watch. Don't worry, we can't be harmed." I said. She returned her attention back to the giant fox. The others looked horrified to see such a beast.

"The Nine Tails," Itachi's voice said.

"A fierce being of pure hatred. He tried to demolish our entire village, and would've succeeded had the Fourth Hokage not sacrificed himself."

I could make out Kakashi and Guy on one rooftop, not too far away from Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. Fires were burning throughout the village, the Nine Tails laying waste to anything that had the misfortune to come within its sight. The beast roared again, causing debris from destroyed trees and buildings to be whipped about in a fierce wind.

The young Itachi stood up and walked back inside, seemingly unfazed by the beast's appearance. Just then there was an explosion of massive proportions, completely incinerating an entire mountain not too far away from the village. At this moment Minato was fighting Tobi, the mysterious masked man behind the Nine Tails' attack. All of a sudden the image changed and we were standing on a cliff in front of a water fall. It was sometime in the night (again), the roar of the waterfall the only thing currently being heard. The ponies looked around, surprised by the sudden change in scenery.

"What just happened?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Itachi controls this vision at will. He can show us anything he wants at any time." I replied.

"Oh." She said. She turned her attention to the scene before us. A more grown Itachi was standing with his best friend, Shisui Uchiha, who had one eye closed and blood dripping from said eye.

"Later on, not too long before a certain incident, my best friend Shisui Uchiha died." Itachi's voice said wavering a little from its usual strong and emotionless tone. The others gasped, while I just watched.

"It no longer looks like the Uchiha coup d'état can be prevented. And if civil war erupts in the Leaf, other nations are certain to invade. Real war will break out." Shisui said, pausing a little. The Itachi before us remained silent.

"Um, quick question: What's a coup d'- whatever he said?" Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight looked at her.

"Coup d'état, it's when a certain group wants to take over the position of power by force." Twilight replied.

"Oh, okay. Wait, doesn't that mean-" She was silenced by the others when Shisui began to speak again.

"When I tried to stop the coup d'état with the Kotoamatsukami, Danzo stole my right eye."

"Ugh, that's sick!" Rainbow Dash said making a gesture to vomit. Shisui turned to Itachi, showing the others his bleeding closed eye.

"He doesn't trust me." He said.

"He intends to protect the village his way, no matter what it takes, or how it looks." He turned his head slightly away so we couldn't see what he was about to do next, which I suppose was the best, as I had doubts the stomachs of these ponies were strong enough to handle it.

"I suspect he'll come after my left eye as well." He said. He reached one hand up to his left eye, three fingers surrounding the outer parts of his eye.

"So I want to give it to you before he has the chance." With that he pulled the eye out of its socket and held it in his hand.

"Did he just-?" Rainbow Dash asked, too repulsed to finish her sentence.

Twilight nodded slowly, a look of horror on her face. Applejack's face turned an olive shade of green and her cheeks puffed up; the only thing holding her vomit in was her own hoof she placed over her mouth. Shisui turned to Itachi, his face and right hand now bloody from having removed his own left eye; which was clenched in his fist.

"You're the only person I can count on, my best friend. Please protect this village... and the honor of the Uchiha name." He said holding his hand out to give Itachi his eye.

Itachi took the eye, holding it in his right hand, his fist wrapped gently around the eye so as not to crush it. Shisui took a few steps backward toward the edge of the cliff. Itachi's eyes widened.

"Well, this is goodbye, my friend." Shisui said smiling.

"Shisui!" Itachi said holding out his free hand.

"Goodbye." Shisui said spreading his arms out beside him and leaning backward.

As he fell Itachi ran toward the edge of the cliff, watching his best friend fall into the rapids below. He sat there on his knees, his left hand outstretched over the edge of the cliff, his right hand still holding onto the eye. His eyes were wide with shock, and tears began to fill up his eyes. The ponies were also on the brink of tears, saddened by the events that had just played out before their very eyes. Tears began rolling down Itachi's face as he sat there watching the rapids, too shocked to move. He closed his eyes and slammed his left fist on the ground, swearing loudly. When he opened his eyes again, his Mangekyou Sharingan was revealed, having been awakened by the loss of his dear friend.

The image changed once more, this time showing Itachi sitting against the wall, fully equipped for combat in his ANBU outfit. His mask rested on the back of his head. The room was dark, the only light source being the moonlight that shone through the single window. Itachi was staring at a letter in his hand, a letter I recognized.

"Not long after that, I was given orders that I had to carry out." Itachi's voice said. Just then there was a knock on Itachi's door, and his mother's voice called him out to dinner. Itachi remained silent, instead closing his eyes and remaining still against the wall. The image changed again, this time to the night of when it all happened.

"The next night, the time had come to carry out my orders." Itachi said. Itachi stood in his room, getting equipped and tightening his headband, his Sharingan clearly visible through the darkness. Twilight turned to me.

"What exactly were his orders?" She asked. I said nothing, but continued to watch.

We followed Itachi out of his house and toward the point where he put his entire clan under a Genjutsu. The others could do nothing but watch as Itachi waited for the signal to start. Then, another figure appeared, seemingly out of thin air next to him. The two exchanged some words, and then Itachi nodded. Itachi lept from his post and landed in front of a house, seemingly at random. He entered the house, drawing his blade as he did so.

"Wait, what's going on?" Rainbow Dash asked nervously.

I looked at Rainbow Dash, who was watching with wide eyes. I then remembered Fluttershy, and how she was easily frightened. I looked to find her and found her cowering behind Applejack, her hooves over her eyes. There were screams as Itachi's first victims were killed by his blade. The others gasped as they watched, their eyes widening in horror.

"These were his orders?!" Twilight asked horrified.

"Yes, he was ordered to kill the entire Uchiha clan, including... Well, I'll let you find out." I said.

They watched in increasing horror and repulsion as Itachi massacred the entire Uchiha clan. I recognized my house as the vision progressed, Itachi entering it as silently as he had the others. My brother and I had been away that night, out on a secret mission assigned to us by the Third Hokage. I watched as Itachi searched for me and my brother, breathing a low sigh of relief as he discovered we weren't there, then proceeded to my parents' bedroom. My mother and father were sleeping soundly in their bed, unaware of their brutal fate. Itachi walked over to their bedside, raising his sword above his head and bringing it down with both hands. Blood splattered along the walls and bed, staining it crimson. I cringed as I watched, this action going unnoticed by the others. Then Itachi proceeded to his own home, where he tied up both his mother and his father.

"We're proud of you son, don't forget that." His father said.

Itachi stood behind them, holding the sword with both hands, tears rolling down his face.

"What?! Even his own mother and father?!" Twilight asked horrified beyond belief.

Tears were streaming down each of the ponies' faces.

"How could somepony order him to do that?!" Rainbow Dash asked, practically yelling.

I closed my eyes.

"We'll always love you, Itachi. Take good care of Sasuke when we're gone." His mother said.

At that moment Sasuke opened the door, horrified at what he saw.

"Mother? Father? Itachi, what are you doing?!" He asked, his eyes wide with shock and his voice filled with fear.

Itachi raised his sword above his head and brought it down on his parents, killing them instantly. Blood splattered along the walls, his parents' bodies collapsing to the floor like puppets with their strings cut. The ponies covered their mouths with their hooves, holding back screams of horror.

With that last vision, the Genjutsu ended and we all returned to reality. The others were petrified, their eyes wide and full of horror. Tears were streaming down their cheeks, their mouths still covered with their hooves. They were all looking at Itachi, none of them saying a word. Itachi's eyes were now closed, a single tear streaming from his right eye.

"Now you know my past." He said. The others still didn't say anything, but their tears began to flow more fluently now, silently rolling down their faces in a steady stream and dripping off of their chins. I looked each one in the eyes, seeing their sadness and horror as clear as day. I sighed and closed my eyes, waiting for someone to say something. After a while, I got what I wanted, and Twilight spoke. "

Tid, d-did you know about this?" She asked. I nodded silently. I opened my eyes and looked in hers. I didn't have to say anything for her to know what I was trying to tell her. Her eyes widened even further as she looked into my eyes.

"Don't tell me... Your family was-?" I nodded. The others then looked at me.

"But this isn't about me. Itachi had a much worse past than I." I said quietly.

Itachi said nothing, his eyes still shut tightly. They didn't know what to say, or what to do. I didn't blame them; who could? The Uchiha Massacre was a horrifying event, no matter who you were. Minutes passed, no one saying anything.

"Look, it's best if you go home and get some rest, all of you. Dwelling on it will do nothing but cause you pain; trust me, I know." I said breaking the silence.

The others said nothing, but they looked at each other. It seemed they came to a silent agreement to do as I asked.

"Alright. Come on girls, let's go." Twilight said standing up. The others followed suit, following Twilight out of the house, each one giving us both one last glance.

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Me: Well, that was emotional.

Itachi: …

Me: I know, especially for you Itachi. It's okay, you don't have to tell your story again. Anyway, as always, favorite, follow, and please leave a review. I'm looking forward to seeing how you guys think I'm doing, as well as any suggestions you may have. See you next time.