Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version

Hey everyone, welcome to the climax of this arc. There will be one more chapter wrapping things up after this, then it will be on to cannon.

Arc I: The Origin:

Chapter 10: Like the Seasons, Everything Changes

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Uchiha District, Village Hidden in the Leaves, November 3rd A.S. 992 –

Sasuki dashed hurriedly through the streets of the Uchiha Compound. Above her, the moon shone brightly, bathing the streets in a pale silver light. She wore a long-sleeved version of her usual shirt, to protect against the chilly late Autumn air that nipped at her face and knees.

'It's getting pretty late' She thought, as she ran down one of the main streets in the compound. She'd accidently stayed late training with Naruto. The more uncomfortable it got at home, the more time she found herself spending around Naruto. Thinking about her blond friend brought a smile to he face. 'I'm really glad I met him.' She didn't know how she'd have handled the tension at home without him there to help reassure her.

As she ran past a wall with the clan crest on it she caught sight of something that startled her—the shadowy silhouette of a person crouched atop a phone pole with the moon shining behind them. Sasuki jerked to a stop and looked up in confusion. Where the figure had been a second earlier, there was nothing, as if it had melted like an apparition of mist in the wind. 'What was that? I could've sworn I just saw someone there.'

Sasuki looked down in contemplation. A second after, she gasped and her eyes widened in shock when she came to a startling realization, something that she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed earlier. "The lights . . . it's too early for everyone to be in bed!" Immediately, she took off once more as she felt a sense of foreboding settle over her.

She skidded around a corner and stopped in shock. The street was a mess, slash marks gouged into walls and signs, broken windows. Kunai and shuriken wer embedded in walls, and blood splattered everywhere. "What is this? What is going on?" she wondered aloud, dashing forward once more.

The next corner she turned brought a sight that caused her to freeze. Two corpses—a man and a woman—lay sprawled across the street, their limbs rigid and a partially dried pool of blood beneath them. A heavy smell of iron lingered in the air. The man had a short crop of grey hair and a kind face, and he wore a beige-colored long-sleeved kimono shirt, and a beige-colored pair of pants. The woman had black hair, that was tied in a knot on top of her head, and she wore a brown full body dress.

Sasuki stared at their bodies in mounting horror, and she began to hyperventilate. "Uncle … Aunty…" Her eyes widened, and her body began to quiver. The blood stains along the streets, did that mean more had been killed? A cold trickle of fear ran down her spine, as she thought of her family. "Mother and Father!"

Immediately she began running again, rushing to reach her home and see if her parents were alright. As she ran, the dread built further and further, feeling like an immense stifling weight slowing her legs. Her blood was rushing so hard she could hear every beat of her heart in her ears. It seemed to take an eternity to reach her house, but in reality it was only a few minutes.

Sasuki cautiously moved through the halls, her eyes and ears straining to pick up any sign of her family. A crash echoed from further in the house, stopping her cold for a second. Instantly she was on the move, running along the outside corridor. Her pace crawled to a stop before the double doors to the dojo. "Somebody's in there …" Sasuki's muscles locked up at the thought, as an icy terror gripped her heart. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get her body to move. Whoever had killed all those people, might be on the other side of that door.

Slowly, shakily, her hand rose to the door handle, pushing it inwards.

CREEEAAK

"Father, Mother!"

The Uchiha girls eyes widened in shock, at the sight that met her eyes. There they were, sprawled in each other's arms on the floor, blood splattered beneath them. Her parents were dead. She had no time to process it before she heard the sound of footsteps in the shadows beginning to walk towards her.

Tap … Tap … Tap

Slowly, a figure emerged, dressed in Anbu gear. The silver moonlight spilled across their face as they looked at her with cold sharingan eyes. It was her brother, an emotionless look on his face.

"B-Big Brother, what's going on?" Confusion ruled her mind, as she struggled to understand what was happening. "Mother, Father, the clan, they're all, they're all–" Sasuki couldn't finish her sentence. The thought was just too horrible, too unreal. Her family, they were all gone. "Wh-who could do this?"

SHINK

Sasuki froze, her eyes wide in shock while she gripped her shoulder. He had thrown a shuriken at her. Her big brother, one of the two people she looked up to most. Horrifying realization dawned on her, it hit her like a sledgehammer to the sternum and took all her breath away. He had done this. Itachi, her beloved big brother had killed their clan, their family, their mother.

"How could you? How could you kill them, the clan, mother!?" Tears began to fall from her eyes, as it really hit her. Her idol, her mother, she was dead.

"Foolish little sister, I almost pity you. Mangekyō Sharingan!" Her eyes widened as his sharingan shifted into a three-bladed shuriken. That was the advanced form of the Sharingan her father had told her about.

'Big brother …'

That was the last thing she thought before it began. She was forced to watch every sick thing Itachi had done. The slaughter of their entire clan. It was her mother that hurt the most. She felt her heart tear in two as Itachi's sword pierced their mothers chest and her blood sprayed forward. Then it began again.

As the mental anguish mounted, Sasuki couldn't help thinking of the one person close to her that Itachi hadn't taken. 'I hope Naruto … is okay.'

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The Next Day –

When Naruto first learned that his grandfather had introduced himself to Gramps, he had felt terrified. For a brief moment he thought the happy life he had built with his grandfather would be shattered. Luckily, that turned out not to be the case, and in fact, he now found himself happier than ever. Needing to lie to everyone close to him had been like a weight he was carrying on his shoulders wherever he went. Now that Gramps knew about it, he felt as if a part of that weight had been lifted. Once again he could share everything with him, and it felt great. It also helped that he now felt slightly even with Gramps after learning about his parents.

Yes, all in all, his life had settled into a comfortable normalcy. He was advancing well in his training at home by getting his chakra control back up to par, and at the academy he continued to excel and compete with Sasuki for the top spot. He should have known the good times couldn't last.

That day started just like any other. He got up and fixed himself breakfast, took a shower, and brushed his teeth. His grandfather wasn't there to bid him goodbye, but that wasn't too unusual. All in all, there was no indication that the day would bring changes that would alter the course of his life, and the course of those dear to him, forever. It wasn't until he got to the academy that he began to feel something strange was going on. The courtyard was filled with students and families, who all looked confused. For some reason, all the lights were out, and the windows were dark. Everyone was just standing around in confusion, and a restless murmur filled the air.

'Huh, I wonder what's going on. Why's everybody standing around?' Naruto stared in confusion at the large crowd. The school should've been open by now, so why wasn't anyone going in? The gate creaked as he opened it and stepped into the courtyard, but it went unnoticed amongst the murmur of confused whispers. In puzzlement, he began to work his way to the front. Maybe he would find someone he knew who could tell him what was happening. He caught snatches of conversations as he made his way.

"Do you know what's going on?" One woman asked the man next to her.

"No, though somebody said the school was closed." He replied

'School, closed?' That stunned Naruto. He couldn't remember a time when the school was closed. Even when instructors got sick there was simply a substitution. Naruto continued to force his way to the front, with the aid of a bit of pushing and shoving. He tried asking a few people what was going on, but upon seeing who was asking, they would always turn away. Finally, he reached the front, and to his relief, he saw a familiar spiky black ponytail.

"Hey, Shikamaru, what's up?" He called out. The fair-skinned boy turned to him and fixed him with his lazy stare, his signature slouch in full effect.

"Oh, it's you, Naruto." He drawled.

Shikamaru Nara was a really lazy boy. All he really wanted to do was nap and look at clouds. After he sat next to him on his first day, he had become friends with the lazy boy and his rotund friend Choji. Despite Shikamaru's laziness, Naruto had come to find that he was actually highly intelligent. He just didn't like to use his intelligence.

Naruto grinned at his friends put out expression. "Yeah, it's me. So, do you know what's going on?" He asked. Shikamaru let loose a sigh.

"Man, it's too much of a drag to explain this early. Take a look for yourself." He said and jerked his head towards the door. Naruto followed his movement and saw a large piece of paper pinned there.

He had to squint his eyes to see what it said.

Attention!

Due to an issue of security,

the instructors have been allocated to other duties.

Therefore, by order of the Third Hokage, all classes are canceled.

Do not be alarmed. Everything is under control.

Classes will resume in two days' time.

Naruto stared in shock at the message. "Man, what d'you think happened to make them assign all the instructors to other duties?" He asked Shikamaru.

The boy simply shrugged his shoulders. "How should I know. Though it's probably something troublesome." He answered. Naruto couldn't help but shake his head at his friend's attitude. It was typical Shikamaru. Even with something as strange as this he seemed like he couldn't be bothered to care.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later then. If class is canceled, I might as well go train somewhere." Said Naruto.

"Man, you can't even take a single day off. All that training is such a drag. As soon as Choji and Ino get here, I'm gonna go take a nap." Shikamaru called after him.

Naruto shook his head at his friend once more, and waved goodbye. By now, the crowd had thinned slightly, so it was much easier getting out. It might have been that the announcement had set him on edge, but Naruto began to pick up on odd things. For some reason, there weren't too many people out. 'Strange, usually the streets should be busy by now.' A look at his watch–gift from Gramps–confirmed that it was just a little past nine o'clock in the morning. Usually the civilians had begun their days, but the streets were pretty quiet. The people who were out were traveling in groups, huddled together as if to keep warm. Perhaps strangest of all, he couldn't see a single shinobi around. You could almost always see a shinobi traveling through the village, whether through the air on the rooftops or on the street. It was pretty earie to not have any about. All in all, it created a rather tense atmosphere.

'Man, something really strange is going on.'

When he got home, Naruto was relieved to see his grandfather standing on the porch. He immediately began to jog towards him excitedly. No matter how unsettled he was by what was going on outside, the sight of his grandfather always filled him with comfort. "Grandpa, I'm glad you're home. You won't believe it, but they canceled class today. Do you think we could do something new?" He asked excitedly. He figured with class canceled, it was the perfect time to learn something cool. However, when he saw his grandfather's face, he felt his excitement die. Madara looked unusually grim, even for his normally stoic self.

Naruto's smile disappeared, and he felt a bit of apprehension set in. "He-hey, is everything alright Grandpa?" He asked hesitantly. To his worry, his grandfather shook his head.

"I just received troubling news from Hiruzen." He answered solemnly. "Something to do with our clan. Ever since the Nine-Tails attack, the Uchiha have felt ostracized by the village leadership. The tension has been increasing for some time. Negotiations had reached an impasse, and civil war seemed like a possibility. It seems last night that boiled over. I'm afraid something terrible has happened, Naruto."

His grandfather's words floored him. He almost had to physically stop himself from falling over in shock. Honestly, it made him feel kind of numb. He'd been around the Uchiha so much recently, yet he'd caught no indication they weren't happy. That's when his mind began to ask questions. Why was his grandfather telling him so suddenly?

A feeling of dread settled in the pit of Naruto's stomach. The first thing he thought of was Sasuki and her mother, who he'd gotten rather close to. "Wha- . . . what are you saying Grandfather? You said something terrible happened, what is it?" He asked fearfully.

Madara's grip on his cane tightened. "Last night, it seems the tension between the two sides become too much. One of their gifted members snapped." He answered. Naruto felt his stomach drop.

"Snapped? Why aren't you answering me? Is everything alright, what about Sasuki and her family?" Naruto began to panic.

His grandfather only closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Last night, your friends brother killed nearly the entire clan in a misguided attempt to maintain peace. I'm afraid Sasuki was the only survivor."

Instantly, Naruto felt as if his blood had frozen in his veins. His mind struggled to comprehend it. Itachi had killed the entire clan aside from Sasuki. That meant he killed Mikoto! He didn't have any time to process that though. Hearing Sasuki was alive made him want to see her immediately. He had to see her, to know she was okay. "Where is she? Is she okay?" he whispered hoarsely. His grandfather seemed to look reluctant to answer, but finally he gave in.

"Right now she's in the hospital. She seems to have gone into a shock induced coma from the trauma–WAIT NARUTO!" As soon as the word coma left his grandfather's mouth, Naruto turned and bolted towards the exit.

He was determined to see his friend. He had to know she was alright. 'Hang on Sasuki, I'll be there soon.'

Naruto dashed through the streets with all his speed. He had plenty of it after nearly a year abusing the healing being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki granted him to train his body brutally. He was heedless of everything around him, and simply dodged around anything in his way. Finally, after five agonizing minutes, he reached the hospital. Without pause, he rushed to the reception desk, and shouted to the startled nurse; "Sasuki Uchiha, where is she!"

The nurse seemed so stunned by his sudden entrance and outburst, that she answered automatically. "Sh-she's on the third floor, in the special security ward, but—" Naruto took off once more.

"HEY, WAIT, YOU CAN'T GO UP THERE, THE ENTIRE FLOOR IS LOCKED DOWN!" The nurse shouted after him. But Naruto didn't care. All that he knew was that he needed to see his friend.

Naruto ignored the elevators, and instead dashed up the stairs. Despite his small stature, he took them two at a time. On the flight of stairs between the second and third floors, he ran headlong into a doctor who was on his way down, sending him tumbling. Naruto didn't spare the man a second glance.

By the time he set foot on the third floor, he was panting heavily. The heavy smell of antiseptic in the air burned his nostrils. Still, his eyes searched wildly for some indication of where the Special Security Ward might be. Finally, they landed on a pair of doors on the opposite end of the hall, with the words "Special Security" painted on the windows. "There!"

Again he took off and began racing towards the doors.

He had made it halfway down the hall, when suddenly he was surrounded by four ninja dressed in black tank-tops and matching pants under a grey vest. A crimson swirl tattoo was emblazoned on their right shoulders. The most distinctive feature, though, were the white animal masks they wore. His eyes widened at the sight of the Anbu members. Before he could react, he found himself being restrained. Three of them grabbed onto his arms and neck, while a female Anbu with a cat mask stepped in front of him and unsheathed her sword. The harsh ring of the metal filled the air. She held it in a ready stance.

"Halt, this floor is off limits!" She commanded. Naruto simply growled and began to struggle against his captures. It was hard. They were fully grown adults, and he was just a kid. Still, he grit his teeth and pulled with all his strength.

"Let me go, my friend's in there. Sasuki Uchiha, I need to see her. I have to make sure she's okay!" He shouted desperately.

The Anbu didn't relax her stance, but when she next spoke, her tone was much softer. "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to see her except for the Hokage. Please stop struggling. If you don't, we will have to use force."

"I don't care." He ground out, and instead redoubled his efforts. Rage began to bubble inside him. Why couldn't these people understand? He had to see his friend! Unconsciously, he began to draw on the power of his tailed beast. He felt a slight burning sensation, and suddenly his strength seemed to increase fifteen-fold. "Let. Me. Through."

With his newfound strength, he tore his right arm free. He then used it to grab onto the arm around his neck and send the man it belonged to flying over his shoulder. The Anbu seemed stunned by his strength. He took advantage of the slight hesitation on their part to grab the wrist of his last captor and twist it violently. There was a sickening SNAP, as if dry wood were breaking, and suddenly the man was cradling his limp wrist.

Naruto didn't hesitate. Immediately, he made to charge forward towards the last Anbu, who had prepared to bring her sword down on him. If it were up to him he would've continued his charge, however, he was halted by a firm hand grasping his shoulder in an iron tight grip, and a familiar voice barking at him.

"Naruto! Stop this immediately, what do you think you're doing attacking my Anbu?" For the first time since he had heard Sasuki was in the hospital, Naruto stopped moving. He turned to the person that had grabbed his shoulder and met the stern gaze of his Gramps. Naruto could feel the adrenaline that had been filling him begin to fade, and his rage at the Anbu went with it. Still, he felt a lingering spark of frustration and anger.

"They won't let me through, I told them I need to see Sasuki, but they wouldn't listen!" The Hokage's glare softened.

"They are merely doing their jobs. I ordered them not to allow anyone entry besides myself and the head medic." He said sternly, Naruto wilted under his gaze. As he calmed down, he looked to see the man he had thrown over his shoulder–an Anbu wearing a boar mask–standing up slowly. He also saw the man whose wrist he had broken leaning on his companion, who wore a lizard mask. Suddenly, he began to feel slightly guilty. They were only doing their duty, and he had injured them. Finally, he let his body relax, and he slumped in resignation.

"Please. I need to see her." He said softly. With that one sentence, he tried to communicate his desperation. Sasuki was his first and best friend. He had to make sure she was ok. The Hokage seemed to understand. He looked at him with compassion and patted him on the shoulder gently.

"Of course, I will take you to see her. She isn't awake yet, but you can sit by her side until she does."

Naruto nodded gratefully and allowed himself to be led towards the doors he had been so desperately trying to reach. On the way there, Gramps paused for a moment to speak to the cat masked Anbu.

"Cat, have your injured squad mates report to headquarters and send replacements." He ordered.

She nodded and bowed her head slightly. "Yes, Lord Hokage."

With that, they continued into the Special Security Ward. Naruto found himself surprised by it. It wasn't so much a ward, as a very large room. The walls were painted a muted cream color and were lined with fancy machines. One side of the room had a wall of windows, that gave a view of the entire village. And in the center of it all, there was a single bed, with a couple chairs set next to it. Naruto's eyes instantly locked onto the occupant of the bed. Sasuki's raven colored hair was splayed out on her pillow, and her face was surprisingly peaceful. It would have almost looked like she was sleeping, if it weren't for all the tubes and wire attached to her, monitoring her vitals. Naruto was surprised by how delicate she looked. He was so used to seeing her strong and full of life, that it was slightly unnerving.

Hiruzen guided him to one of the chairs. He sat down absentmindedly and continued to stare at his friend. The Hokage took a seat next to him.

"As far as we can tell, there's no physical damage. She had a fractured wrist, but that was healed almost as soon as she got here. The remainder appears to be entirely mental, likely due to the trauma of what she saw." He told him. Naruto nodded thoughtlessly. It set him a bit at ease to know that she wasn't gravely injured.

"The head medic seemed to suspect that she's been put through a particularly devastating genjutsu, one she hasn't encountered before." He informed him. That managed to shake Naruto out of his stupor.

"It's probably Tsukuyomi. That's a super powerful genjutsu of our clan." He said. Hiruzen nodded in agreement.

For a while, they just sat there in silence. The only noise was the steady beeps of the machines that Sasuki was hooked up to. Eventually, his Gramps stood up, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You can visit her as long as you like. I'll make sure the guards know to allow you entry from now on." With that, he left Naruto to sit in silence with his friend.

Naruto finally had time to begin to process what had happened. Sasuki was in the hospital, and Mikoto was dead. The thought sent a spike straight through his heart. Tears welled up in his eyes. Sasuki's mother had been beyond kind to him. Every time he saw her she would smile and take the time to talk to him. Sometimes he felt himself wondering if the way she treated him was what it was like to have a mother.

'It's not right for her to be dead.' He thought bitterly. He couldn't believe what Itachi had done. Supposedly he thought he was doing the right thing, but it went way too far. Not only did he kill such a kind woman–his own mother–and orphaned his sister, but he'd also tortured Sasuki with Tsukuyomi. 'I'll never forgive him. No matter what.'

The creak of Sasuki's bed caught his attention as she shifted in her sleep. There were silent tears running down her cheeks. They shone in the sunlight like drops of liquid crystal. That's right, she was alive. There was time for his anger and grief later. Right now his friend needed him. Naruto silently vowed that he'd wait by her side as much as possible. Even if it meant missing class.

"Please Sasuki, wake up soon. I'm waiting for you …" He muttered quietly.

It would be a week before she woke up. That day … he'd never forget that day. The day that changed them both forever.

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Beep …

She felt so heavy. Her body didn't seem to want to move. Why was that? Was there a reason her mind didn't work? A voice carried to her from what sounded a great distance. "Why if it isn't Sasuki, our clans Princess!" Even as distorted as it was, she recognized the voice, and the face that came with it.

Two bodies lay slumped over, a torn up store stall behind them.

'Aunty, Uncle.'

Beep … beep …

"… That's my girl." Her breath quickened. 'Father.' She felt like she was supposed to remember something.

A man's body slumped protectively over a woman.

Beep … beep … beep …

Was that weird sound getting faster? How odd.

"Sasuki darling, it's time for school. Don't forget I'm going to help you with your training later."

A dull roar filled her ears. There was something wet sliding down her cheeks. She scrunched her eyes. For some reason whatever it was felt warm and gross. Wait, were those tears? Why was she crying?

Long dark hair, pouring out from under his arms. Blood was everywhere.

'Mother …?'

Beep … beep … beep … beep

She was on a street crawling backwards. A dark figure loomed over her. Crimson eyes blazed in the cold winter air. Three-pronged pinwheels spun lazily inside them. Those eyes seemed to pierce her very soul.

"If you wish to kill me one day in hate and revenge, and survive in such an unsightly manner, then flee. Cling to your wretched life. And then, one day, when you possess the same eyes … seek me out and face me." His eye's spun wildly.

'Itachi.' Agony. Agony like she never imagined.

Sasuki shot up in bed. Machines blared around her. White-clad figures bustled about in the periphery of her vision. Everything was so blurry. None of it mattered. She barely heard anything. Even though she saw, she didn't react. It had to be a dream. Yes, god it had to be a dream. He couldn't have possibly done it.

Sasuki could hear someone's voice. They were trying to say something. She ignored it.

"…Please let it be a dream …" She mumbled.

Two hands seized her shoulders and turned her forcefully. Concerned eyes the color of sapphires met her gaze. Large, dark bags marred the skin underneath them. 'Naruto.' She thought numbly.

Before she even really registered it was him, he pulled her into a tight hug.

"I can't believe you're finally awake. I was so worried." He said.

Awake? That's when she actually looked at her surroundings. She finally realized she was in a large hospital room. She could see a couple nurses hovering in the background nervously. A shiver of fear ran down her spine like phantom nails. Ice-cold dread filled her. No. It couldn't possibly be true. She shoved away from Naruto and looked at him with wild eyes. For the first time she really registered where she was.

"Awake? Where is everyone Naruto? My mother and father, where are they?" She asked.

Naruto's expression fell. He looked away, almost like he couldn't look at her. Fresh tears welled in her eyes.

"No … it can't be." She could hardly breathe. The world was spinning. "IT WASN'T REAL!" She shouted.

But it was. It had all been real. He really killed them. Her father, her mother. Everyone. They were all dead. She was alone.

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There you go, the climax of the arc, the infamous Uchiha Massacre. I hope I did it justice. I know when I first wrote that last scene (which is new) it took a lot out of me. Had to watch a few happy YouTube videos to get out of that sad scene zone.

Anyways, next chapter we'll wrap things up for this arc. See you then.

Until Next Time,

RinneTaicho Signing Off!