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Chapter 20: Sasuke's Resolve
Sasuke's P.O.V.
"Damnit, damnit, damnit!" I yell internally.
With the documents I retrieved from my home in my hand, I curse every detail I am learning. The testimony from Itachi's journal, to the scrolls mother kept on Itachi, and the scrolls that were kept on Madara and Obito, everything started to make sense. Seeing that Itachi wasn't the villain after all and that it was my clan that were the true evil is heart retching to me. And believe me when I say that the Elders are no saints either. They became prejudice, even when my clan posed no threat.
"How could the Hidden Leaf treat my people with such discrimination? Just like they treated Naruto…"
My thoughts trail off as I think about the smiling idiot. Despite what happened to him, Naruto let it drive him. Sure, there were times where he would lose sight, but I was there to bring him back and vice versa. Now look at us. He spends his days gaining strength to try and bring me home while I'm on the run and possibly labeled as a Missing Nin. What kind of life is this? It's because of me that Naruto's obsessed and I'll most likely die over vengeance. At least, I can find comfort in knowing that the Uchiha clan and the Hidden Leaf will die with me. Madara and Obito may desire their own form of peace, but they were responsible for most of Naruto and my life's events. The Hidden Leaf, Obito and Madara will pay for their crimes. I will be their judge, jury and executioner.
"Fuck," I groan as I rub my eyes.
Ever since I came back from the village, my eyes have been irritating me. Having come to terms with Itachi's death awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. I have been practicing with using it and seeing what new powers I gained, but it is taking its toll on me already. I bring the base of my palms up to rub my eyes. The burning sensation increases, making me rub harder.
"I told you rubbing it will only do more damage," Obito says as he walks into my "room".
"But it fuckin hurts,"
"Use this, it'll ease the pain,"
I remove one of my hands to see him hold out a little vile with an eye dropper.
"What's this?"
"It's Kotarō. It's used to combat the possible blindness from the Mangekyō Sharingan. Now, lean back and open your eyes," I give him a suspicious look. "It's not going to poison you. I promise," Deciding to trust him, I lean my head back and use my fingers to open both eyes. He hoovers the dropper over my eyes before giving me two droplets in each eye. I blink a few times to let the liquid soak into my eyes before looking at him. "Better?" I nod. "Good,"
He screws the lib back on before sitting next to me. "I see you've been reading those scrolls," I don't say anything back letting an awkward silence hang in the air. Next to me, he sighs as he places a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Listen, I know that this is a lot for you to take in. I mean, finding out that the brother you've hated all this time was not who you thought he was and that it was the Elders of our village who were the wrong ones has to be suffocating you,"
I sigh at his words before replying. "Yes, it is. All my life, I thought I would gain enough strength to defeat my older brother, return to the Hidden Leaf, and start trying to repopulate my clan. I didn't want to know the details. None of this was supposed to be this complicated. Nothing was supposed to go this way,"
"Life is complicated, Sasuke. It's not like any of the books you've read or the movies you've seen. And the sad truth is that none of it ever goes the way we intend to. But, now you don't have to face it alone. You have your friends, Madara and me to help guide you through all of this. I can't speak for the others, but at least have comfort in knowing that I'll never abandon you,"
I shrug his hand off my shoulders as I stand. "Thanks. I guess,"
"Hey," Obito calls out as he stands beside me. "We're out of the medication. Why don't you retrieve some from the Howling Wolf Village1?"
"The Howling Wolf Village? Why all the way out there?"
"It's where you'll meet with the Kodon clan. The medicine is only prepared within their bodies. Itachi used to frequent there whenever he needed a refill for his prescription. While there, you may even learn a few things about your brother. It'll be good for you,"
"Fine,"
I reach for my cloak Madara enters the room.
"We have a problem,"
"Don't we always," Obito replies with his arms crossed.
"Naruto and his team just defeated Kakazu,"
"What?!" both Obito and I gasp.
"I fear that he may be getting too strong. We still need to capture his Tailed Beast if our plan is to succeed,"
"What do we need to do?" I ask.
"We need to capture the remaining Tailed Beasts. With their combined strength, we will easily over power Naruto and take the Nine-Tails," Madara informs.
"Right. Alright, leave it to my team. We'll~"
"Your team is not doing anything, Sasuke. You need to fetch that medicine before you do anything else," Obito interrupts.
"We are out of it then? Very well, we'll just have to wait until you come back Sasuke. While you're gone, collect your thoughts and bring enough for at least a year. You're going to be needing it for what we have planned,"
I opened my mouth to protest, but Obito shakes his head. Thinking over what they said, I give a heavy sigh before putting on my cloak.
"Fine. But neither of you better not leave without me. I'll return soon enough,"
"The journey is a straight shot from here. It should only take you four to five hours to the mountain. Be careful and stay hidden," Obito instructs.
"You don't have to tell me how to be a ninja. It's in my blood,"
Hours away from the Hideout I've been staying, I make it up the mountain and enter through the Howling Wolf's Village's gates. I was greeted by the guards. I told them I was a traveler looking for the Kodon clan. They point me to a small shop and I make my way there.
When I arrive at the store's front, I see two young men standing behind a counter. From what I could tell, they look like cranes. I open the door and the two males greet me with bright smiles.
"Welcome to our shop. How can we help you today?" they ask I unison.
Looking at them closer, I see that I was right. They were cranes and they looked like brothers. Both had long necks, black and white hair, pale skin and bright orange eyes. The taller one looks several years older wears a black kimono with designs of white cranes. The shorter, younger brother wears a white Kimono with black cranes.
I take a step forward, clearing my throat, before speaking. "Are you a part of the Kodon clan?"
"Yes. My name is Reishi. I am the pharmacist of the village. And this is Kina, my younger brother,"
"Who are you, stranger?"
"My name is not important. But, I was told that my brother came her to get this medicine refilled," I say before placing the vile on the counter top.
The brothers observe the bottle before looking at me in excitement.
"Well I'll be. There is only one person I refill this prescription for and that is Itachi Uchiha. And you said he was your brother, so you must be~"
"Sasuke! It's an honor to meet you. Do you mind if I shake your hand?" Kina asks excitedly.
Nervously, I remove my hand from under my cloak and hold it out. Kina comes from around the counter with a huge smile and wraps his smaller hand around mine. Under the sleeve of his kimono, I could see white feathers with black tips on them.
"Brother! It's really him! It's Sasuke!"
"I know Kina. But, I'm pretty sure that he would like to remain anonymous while he's here," Reishi chuckles.
"Sorry,"
"How do you know me?"
"Itachi told us all about you whenever he would come to visit. He also told us that if we were to ever see you here it would be after he had passed. I am very sorry for your loss, Sasuke-kun," Kina says before both males bow in front of me.
"I am so sorry for your loss. I know that it must hurt you, especially knowing how much he loved you. Why don't you let Kina escort you to Itachi's old shack and I'll bring you something to eat in a little while," Reishi offers.
"I can't stay. I need to get back soon,"
"I'm sorry to tell you this, Sasuke, but the medicine will take about a week for me to prepare. You are free to leave and come back, but I know the journey must be long. You are more than welcome to stay here if you please,"
Thinking it over, I nod my head in agreement. Not saying anything more, I let the younger of the two lead me to my resting place for the next week.
After Kina escorted me to Itachi's shack, I was left alone. I looked around the place. It was not the biggest shack, but decent enough for just a person to stay in. About an hour passes before I hear a knock at the door.
"Come in,"
Kina and Reishi walk in with flowers and a tray full of food.
"We know that you wanted to be alone, but we figured you would be hungry," Reishi says.
I nod before watching Kina place the tray in front of me and Reishi place the flowers on a stand next to the bed.
"Those flowers~"
"Were Itachi's favorite," Reishi finishes. "Pink and yellow Suirens2*: far from the one you love, red Amaririsus3*: shyness and/or pride, and white Natsugikus4*: grief. Itachi said the first two reminded him of you when you were younger. He loved you so much he called this "Sasuke's Bouquet"," I stare hard at the bouquet. A tear threatening to form in the corner of my eye. I quickly whip it away in favor of eating the food they prepared for me. "Tell me Sasuke, if you don't mind me asking: When did you find out about your brother?"
Almost choking on food, I pound my chest to free my airways. After a few pants, I look at the two with wide eyes and panic. I didn't have the heart to tell them the truth; not after the way they treated me. They admired my brother. I couldn't take that from them.
I clear my throat again before speaking. "I was the one that… found him…"
The two brothers look at me with so much sadness in their eyes. It almost makes me wish I had not said anything.
"That must have been terrible. I don't know what I would have done if anything were to happen to Kina. He's my only little brother and I would give my life for him to live,"
"No, big brother. I would not be able to live without you. You're my hero," Kina smiles.
Reishi smiles back before throwing an arm around his younger brother's shoulders and pulling them closer.
"You two… are really close… It kind of reminds me of when Itachi and I…"
"Were younger?" Reishi finishes my sentence again. "Itachi said the same thing. Kina and I loved every time he would visit us. He would admire our relationship and entertain us with stories of all the mischief the two of you or just you would get up to. We would even tell him some of stories passed down to us about your clan,"
"How… do you know my clan?"
"Through the medicine of course. The Kotarō that you need has been in our family for generations. In fact, we're the only clan that can prepare it within our bodies. So, whenever your clan needed a supply, they would seek my clan out. In a way, you could say that our clans are like family. Our father even knew your parents and your grandparents. I've met your mother on a serval occasions before she was pregnant with you, Sasuke. In fact, I remember this one time where~"
I just let Reishi tell his stories of my parents and Itachi. I had no idea that there was even another clan outside of the Hidden Leaf that knew my clan. Sure, I knew that our clan was one of the famous in all Konoha, but to meet people who personally knew them is amazing to me. I didn't listen to every detail of Reishi's story, but I did catch bits and pieces. Enough to understand that their clan and mine held a great amount of respect for each other.
"Yes, it was quite a shame when Itachi finally told us the truth about what happened that faithful night," Reishi says, bringing my attention back to him.
"Itachi told you?" They both nod. "And… what did your clan think? What did you guys think?"
Both brothers look at each other before Kina answers me. "We didn't tell anyone else. His secret will die with us,"
"Sasuke, the tragedy of your clan's demise was too much anyone, including Itachi to bear. We knew that no one else would understand why he did what he did. It was not our place to mention it beyond these walls. The thought of losing one's sibling is too great in itself. This world is already full of confusion and tragedy. I do not want to contribute to it. I would rather help bring peace. Come, we will leave you to grieve in peace. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask Kina or me. Come, otoutosan,"
"Yes brother," Kina gets up to follow Reishi out of the shack but stops at the doorway. We lock eyes as he speaks. "Itachi loved you, Sasuke. He wanted you to know that when you finally came here,"
The door shuts, and I am alone again. I remove my shoes and strip down to my boxers. I climb onto the bed, laying on my back to stare at a blank ceiling. Sighing deeply, I roll onto my right side and stare at the flowers before me. I reach out to gently stroke their soft petals. Greif fills my heart as the words and stories of my oniisan fill my head. It is only when a single tear rolls down the bridge of my nose that I remember today is an important day.
"It's June 9th… Happy birthday, Itachi…"
The passes by slowly. I almost go insane with boredom. But, the final day has come. Kina put the flowers in a vase of water for me so that they would not die before I left. On the stand by the bed is where they currently are. I dress myself for the day before heading to the shop. I take one last look at the shack and close the door. At the store's front, Reishi and Kina meet with a scroll.
"This is should be enough to last you for a year. If you ever need more, please do not hesitate to come back and visit," Reishi smiles as he hands over the scroll.
"But, if you're not too busy, maybe you can come visit us again soon? We would love to hear your stories about Itachi," Kina smiles at me.
I look between them and the scroll a few times before putting the scroll away and nodding.
"Thank you. I promise,"
And with that, I turn to exit the village and begin my journey back to the Hideout.
It takes me five hours to make it to the entrance of the Hideout. Outside, my team, Obito and Madara are waiting for me.
"Sasuke-kun! Did you enjoy your trip?!" Karin says while smiling and waving at me.
"Gee Karin, the man just arrived after being gone a week and you're on him like flies on shit already," Suigetsu chuckles with his arms crossed.
"Shut up! Unlike some people on this team, I happened to miss Sasuke-kun's handsome face,"
"So Sasuke, did you actually enjoy your trip? Did you do everything that needed to be done to continue?" Obito asks.
I nod. "Yes, I'm ready to do whatever it takes for the Hidden Leaf to pay for their transgressions,"
"Excellent because while you were gone, we've made our next plan," Madara says while walking in front of everyone. "The next Tailed Beast vessel we're going after is the Eight-Tails: Killer B of Kumogakure: The Hidden Cloud Village,"
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To Be Continued…
1 This a novel separate from the anime/ manga. So, technically this is a story all its own, not a part of either the anime or the manga.
2 Lotus
3 Amaryllis
4 Chrysanthemums