Interlude 3: Of gods and children

The Uchiha had always cultivated a certain fondness for tales and legends. Sasuke had grown up shrouded in stories about distant ancestors and for a long time he had perceived the world as a complex system of divine powers and mystical clues. This sense of wonder was one more thing that had been violently taken away from him that fateful night four years ago.

A part of him, one he had carefully buried with the rest of his childish memories, was still fascinated by these old dreams. It was taken quite seriously in the Uchiha clan. As a little kid, no more than 2 or three-year-old at that time his mother had begun to tell him about the way the sun shone for the Uchiha and how their eyes were dark as was their hair only as a contrast to make her shine brighter. Amateraszu, the blinding sun would look over him. A few years later Shisui began to recount the ancient battles of the warring clans for him. They would sit in the tallest tree of the Uchiha compound, Shisui leaning against a big branch and him sitting against Itachi. He would tell him about Yuryaku, Madara Ushiha's grandfather who battled the thunder-wielding ninja-clans from the north and rekindled the alliance between the Uchiha and the gods. About Kusahahahati his wife and consort who could look at an army and see where it was headed. About his father Ingyo who had lost one of his sharingan in battle in his youth and who, old and crippled died honorably on a last battlefield, throwing himself from a mountain to keep the other Sharingan safe.

Sasuke remembered the ritual ceremonies where the elders would always read the same sacred legends from the family scrolls. As much as he had hated the pompous ceremonies as a boy he had looked forward to that part when the old, deep voices of Sushun-san or Hatsusebe-san would read the old texts and Itachi would whisper some comments when he did not understand a difficult word.

One of these ceremonies was held on Founder's Day. The morning there was the tale about how Madara had been evicted from his rightful place as Konoha's ruler. He didn't really like that story. Itachi never explained anything only looked straight ahead looking tense and exchanging a glance with Shisui from time to time. Also, his favorite elder, the old Hatsuebe-san always refused to read that story. Her deep, warm, calm voice was his favorite.

In the evening however, when the autumn sun, red and glowing was about to go down all the children and young people of the clan, even the civilians would sit down outside and an elder would tell them the story of the three Gods of the Uchiha.

They would tell them that long ago the god of life, of flowers and of the wind had gone down to the underworld to find his wife that had passed away. That he had walked for days in absolute darkness. They would tell him that he managed to find her and convince her to come back to the living but when he finally saw her rotten features that had once been so beautiful he couldn't hide his fear. They told him that he had to flee from her rage and leave the underworld forever. Washing himself in a nearby river three deities were born from the remains of the underworld and the touch of his wife upon his skin. The gods of the Uchiha were born both of death and of love.

They three were very different but loved each other all the more for it. Amaterazu shone like the sun. She was the most beautiful woman of the world and she could breath fire hotter than the strongest pyre. Tzukuyomi was pale as the moon and silent as the night. He was the smartest of the three and many wise words fell from his lips. Susanoo was like the storm, always moving, always raging. No man or god could hope to surpass him in battle except for his two siblings for he was the weakest of the three.

The Ushiha, long ago, when they hadn' t yet received the Sharingan. once glanced at the three Gods from afar and their radiance was so great, Amaterazu so bright, Tzukuyomi so refined and Susanoo so loud that they decided to revere them. The Ushiha's clan head at that time, Ingyo, taught his 5 sons and 3 daughters to pray to them and make sacrifices for them.

Nagata the youngest daughter was so full of her belief in the gods that she came to bring her greatest sword as a sacrifice to the gods. Thinking that she ought to be as close as possible to them to give her offering she climbed the highest mountain of the country. The sun, the moon and the storms are all high in the air she reasoned. However, she climbed so high that the light of the sun blinded her. As a warrior she had lost both of her greatest weapons as an offering to the gods: her eyes and her sword. The gods, impressed by her faith gave her three gifts. Susannoo took the red eyes of one of his celestial horses and gave these eyes the power to see more than any eye can see. In battle she would be able to notice any movement and dodge all attacks. Tsukuyomi took the eyes and gave them the power to dream and weave dreams. In life, no enemy would be able to lead her astray with illusions and she would be able to trick and manipulate any foe. Finally, Amaterazu gave the eyes the power to create fire. Her eyes would fill her with the knowledge of fire, give her its warmth and light and the fury of never ending flames.

Nagata was gifted these eyes and descended from the mountain. She was the first Ushiha to have the Sharingan.

That was the story that Sasuke told Naruto that evening, both sitting on the roof of Sasuke's house in the Uchiha district. The sun was shining golden-red and Naruto' s hair seemed to glow of its own light.

Sasuke didn't tell him that as a kid he had loved nothing more than to listen to that tale with his brother and cousins at his side. Couldn't tell him that he was still thinking fondly of these days, that he longed so much to live back in these better times that it ached somewhere deep in his chest. He tried to tell the story flatly, in an even, cold voice, like someone would tell another about the weather or recent political happenings. However, his voice took on an edge, a liveliness, an echo of the voice of the old Hatsuebe.

Naruto was listening to him with a serious expression and something alive in his eyes, just as fascinated as Sasuke had always been.

When Sasuke stopped he first remained uncharacteristically silent.

"I wish, he finally said, I wish I' d have a clan like you. I mean not like you. Euh, a clan that isn't dead. Sorry."

Sasuke should be angry like he would have been if anyone else had said that. But Naruto was alone like him and had been all his life.

"You would have made a terrible Uchiha."

Naruto grinned and rubbed his head somewhat sheepishly.

It was true. He would have irked all the adult Uchiha with their rules about remaining stoic and not showing emotions. God, it would have been fun. He would have driven the elders mad in less than a week. Sasuke would have liked that. He could almost picture it: Naruto running through the streets with his loud laugh and him running after him. It would have been nice, Naruto's happiness and liveliness as a counterpoint to Itachi's calm and silence.

Naruto was balancing on the edge of the roof now.

"I mean I would look terrible with black hair."

Sasuke snorted. Probably. Or maybe he would have looked somewhat like his cousin Shisui. Black-haired but not quite as pale as the other, with a large grin and striking eyes.

But cousin Shisui was dead and if Naruto had been an Uchiha he would be dead too. There was no point in indulging in useless fantasies.

He jumped down from the roof and entered his house. Just before closing it he shouted.

"It' s getting late, you should go back."

Another time maybe he would have told Naruto to spend the night at his place. Another time. Maybe.