Chapter 26 The road forward.

"I need to hurry and make a more suffocated seal," I thought, looking at the ink that spread down my body in an effort to maintain the seal. The seal fed on my chakra to maintain itself, but with Madara draining said chakra. The seal wasn't efficient; it was a placeholder, nothing more. I wasn't planning on using my chakra outside of the genjutsu.

I looked over at Mom, who sat exhausted, having to share her chakra with me. Had she not stepped in, I would likely have died. How is it; I keep finding myself in these situations?

I didn't expect him to go into "that room." The seal caused some of Madara's aura to leak out. This same aura made the shinobis forced to fight him cower in fear. Usually, when people sense danger, they move away from it, not towards it.

It seems expecting a shinobi to act normal is asking for too much.

I glared at the man that looked like he came from a war zone. He sat with his head in his hands, trembling and muttering to himself. He flinched as Father touched his shoulder, increasing dad's worry.

"Serves you right."

There was an awkward silence where no one knew what to do are say. I took the time to mend my seal, the ink withdrawing to my chest. Exhaustion overtook me even as I felt the relief of another body destroyed. Today was too eventful.

"I'm sorry."

I jumped in surprise as Inoichi spoke suddenly, breaking the silence. He looked at me with pity.

"For what?" I asked, confused. Was he apologizing for almost killing me?

"I brought back unpleasant memories," he confessed. The image of my parents making out surfaced from where I buried it, and I looked away. Memories of the past, good and bad, returned, and it was my turn to bury my face in my hands. There were things in there that Inner suppressed for my own sanity. I didn't need to remember these things.

"I'm sorry." Inoichi apologies again. I peeked through my fingers to see his sorrowful face and was left wondering why he was sad when I was the one suffering. Still, he wasn't making any move to restrain me, and I didn't forcefully recall my plan so, I can alone assume he didn't find it. I sighed in relief, dropping my hands and averting my eyes.

"It's okay," I said. "We do what we have to to protect our family." I did worse to for my boys anyway. Not that he would ever know.

He nodded, standing up on shaky legs. Did I siphon some of his chakra? He looked pale.

"I'll have someone escort you back to the hospital," he said, standing at the door. "With this, you should be a free woman." He gave a weak smile as he opened the door.

Something wasn't right.

"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked, despite myself. He looked at death's door. If he died because of me, Ino would be sad, wouldn't she? I didn't have much chakra thanks to a certain someone, but I knew where to get some.

I was walking before I could think.

I wasn't motivated by composition; this was merely a test of my abilities. Madara's raw chakra flowed into my reserve, giving me pause. With my body on autopilot, I mold it to fit my chakra signature and beckoned Inoichi to my level. Curious, he crouched before me so I could reach his forehead.

Healing palm activated and flooded his mind calming it, and repairing the damages.

Healing palm can cure mental damage, good to know.

PTSD wasn't a new concept to the shinobi world, which was why they tried to fool kids into thinking killing was okay. The moment a shinobi became mentally unstable was the moment they lost their use. With his career revolving around the mind and breaking it, it would be ironic and tragic.

Was Madara that scary?

He was. He was a god of shinobi in his own right. Being able to stand toe to toe with the first Hokage in combat, he was a monster. A fragment of his chakra could I outclass a Jonin. Madara was a walking death sentence.

I was on the verge of collapse when I finished healing him. Sleep demanded I keep him company with no room for decline. Steeping away from the Yamanaka, I stumbled over to Father, fighting to keep my eyes open. He stooped down, scooping me up into his arms without a word. Mt eyes found Mom, who looked much better before I lost the battle with fatigue.

As my mind drifted away, I process an earlier thought.

Madara's chakra is just like Sasuke's.

/

The Hyuga compound was too quiet, in Sasuke's opinion. Even with naruto talk blabbering about the strange dream he had, it wasn't enough to chase away the silence. His home at the Uchiha district was lively, chatter and the laughter of children.

Moments with his father in silence that he took for granted. His mother's smile when she greeted him every morning. Even his father and Itachi's arguments in the night. He'd taken all that for granted, and now he'd never experience it again.

Sasuke looked down at his small hands, clenching and unclenching them as the memories of that night flashed through his mind. His parents' dead body, his brother bleeding, naruto panicking. And Sakura getting impaled. He thought he'd lost everything that night.

Madara Uchiha. He was a clan member, yet he hunted them down for their Sharingan. Sasuke didn't recognize his name, and with his face covered, he couldn't hope to recognize his face. Sasuke would need to look at the clan documents to find out more about him. From the way, everyone reacted he had to be well known.

He was strong, just like her,that woman. The image of her cold smile forever edged in his mind. Her crimson hair was like blood, and her glowing emerald eyes like that of a snake. She was strong able to bet his brother and an anbu. She slaughtered his clan and didn't have a single scratch on her.

He didn't know the woman though she claimed to be naruto's family. His eyes wandered over to the blond idiot.

They look nothing alike.

It wasn't just the difference in hair color, age, and gender. Naruto was bright and naïve; Sasuke couldn't imaging him bullying someone without apologizing right after, while that woman killed his clan and acted like she was doing them a favor.

The Uchiha's' death was unavoidable, destined even. She said it with confidence. She seemed to think the village would have killed his clan if she hadn't. He gritted his teeth.

"That Demon fox resides within you."

"Nine tail fox?" he muttered. "The Nine-tails' attack" was a large part of Konoha's history. He was only a baby when it happened, but the tale endured through time.

Once appeared a nine tail demon fox. One swing of its mighty tail could crumble mountains and cause tsunamis. To fight the demon, the people assembled the shinobis. One brave shinobi was able to seal the demon but lost his life. That shinobi was called the fourth Hokage.

There was a mural of all the Hokages' legacy inside the Hokage Rock, the mountain that overlooked the village. Sasuke had never given much thought to the tale; if he were honest, he thought it was just a legend. But that terrifying chakra he felt coming from Naruto. Was that why people avoided him?

Then, what about Sakura?

She was always protective of him, especially when it came to the villagers. Did she know what he was? Was that why she attacked that man when he tainted Naruto?

Pink hair danced in the wind, stained red with blood, a hole in her chest as she fell into a pit of her own making. Sasuke shook his head, trying to dispel the memory. Pain erupted behind his eyes, and the world shifted to red. The phantom pain stayed even after his Sharingan deactivated.

Mangekyo Sharingan, the second form of the Sharingan and a technique not many of the Uchiha clan achieved. Itachi had only just recently acquired it while Sasuke activated his Sharingan and Mangekyo in a single night. The condition for activating these eyes was witnessing the death of a close friend. Even as he'd always want his brother, he would give his eyes for his family's life.

Stronger, he would get stronger. Strong enough to defeat anyone, strong enough to protect everyone. And then.

He'd avenge his clan.

He'd hunt down Madara and the Uzumaki and kill them; he would have his revenge. Sasuke promised himself as his Sharingan activated in response to his rage. Everyone that suffered, everyone that died, he'd avenge them. He would never forgive them for what they've done, nor would he show mercy, no matter how much they begged.

Be the flames of his Mangekyo, the edge of his blade, or his bare hands. The means didn't matter; only their death would satisfy his hatred. Even if he died, as long as he brought them down with him, he didn't care.

Nothing else mattered.

A cruel smile marred his face as he set his goal. He would be an avenger.

He heard naruto laugh again and found a new sense of disdain for the boy. Even as they went through something so horrible, he still had the nerve to be smiling like that. No. Naruto didn't lose anyone that night. Sasuke was the only one that was in pain.

Feeling more alone than before, he stood abruptly and turned to leave. It was best he severed ties to people like him.

Clank

He turned back to see an oval block locket on the ground. He felt his neck, but his necklace wasn't there. The chain that held it around his neck broke. He reached down and picked it up, inspecting it for damage.

Seeing none on the outside, he opened it; smiling faces greeted him.

"Let's get strong enough to protect what's precious to us."

He remembered their promise to each other.

Pointless words.

"You know, you're like the moon Sasuke," Sakura said in her drunken stupor. He looked down at the girl that had made his lap her pillow.

"What do you mean?" he asked, not expecting much of a replay.

"You're cool," she said, proving him right. "You're always calm and level headed; even surrounded by darkness, you shine the brightest."

He paused in his eating to look down at her, inquisitively, she smiled brightly up at him.

"Where others are like stars trying their hardest to shine in the dark, you illuminate the whole world. You're beautiful like that. Maybe that's why everyone has a crush on you." She giggled to her own joke. She reached up and pulled on his check, stretching his face.

"Ow!" he protested, and she let him go, still smiling as he rubbed his sore cheek.

"Never stop smiling, Sasuke," she said, "it's that smile that I want to protect the most."

"So keep smiling for me."

His lips trembled as his resolve wavered, his eyes fading to black. He fell to his knees as ugly tears rolled down his cheeks. He clutched the locket to his chest, his forehead on the ground.

He didn't want to be alone. His clan was gone, with his brother his only blood, his only family.

"Don't leave me." He whimpered, "don't go."

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice filtered through as the blond knelt before him. "Hey, Sasuke, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, not wanting to show weakness. He was an Uchiha; he couldn't show weakness. Even as he thought it, the blond still forced him up, and his tearstained face was on full display. He expected laughter and taunting as Naruto had done numerous times. What he got was the blond pulling him into a hug.

"It's okay, Sasuke," he said, brushing his hand through Sasuke's hair. "I'm here."

Sasuke wasn't a crybaby. He'd always looked up to his brother, who almost never cried, so he tried to be like him. Sasuke only wept when he was alone, where no one could see. If his brother ever saw him like this, Sasuke swore to kill Naruto. Even as Sasuke buried his face in Naruto's neck, he would never forgive the boy for making him cry.

"I see." The Hokage said after hearing Inoichi's report. She wasn't a changeling, and she seemed to have been affected by the incident. The knowledge filled him with relief. Naruto's seal was still intact despite leaking chakra. After inspecting the seal, it seems it was made with that functionality in mind.

The Nine tails' chakra leaked in response to naruto's anger and grief. If sakura was to suddenly disappear, who knows how naruto would react. It could spell the end of the leaf village as they knew it.

Who stopped the Nine tails' chakra from going wild was still a mystery. The chakra residue didn't match with anyone that was at the scene. While they couldn't comparer it with the outsiders, those two have no reason to stop the fox's rampage. Does that mean there was a third party?

There was also the issue of Danzo getting attacked. His old friend relayed what had happened to him, including the Uzumaki, Ina, putting something inside him. They attacked Danzo while he was in his underground base, a place heavily guarded. That Uchiha could teleport, to think he had access to secure places like this. Should he think to attack the village, nowhere would be safe.

He stood and walked to the window, looking out at his village. While he loved this village as he did his own family, he couldn't help but think the newer generations were very troublesome.

"Why did you have to leave me," he muttered, looking up at the Hokage rock. "Minato-Kun."

/

Naruto sat in a break room nursing a cup of hot milk as Sasuke glared at him. Their crying caused the servants to call lord Hyuga, and in turn, Itachi as the two were having a meeting. Sasuke had been embarrassed, his face red as Itachi comforted him.

Naruto couldn't understand why Sasuke was so mad at him now; lord Hyuga didn't even as if he was okay, just told him to bring Sasuke to the break room. In a way, Naruto was jealous of Sasuke. Even though they were both alone, Sasuke still had someone to call family.

Naruto felt the urge to cry, but as he did numerous times before, he suppressed it. Blinking slowly to chase away the stinging in his eyes, he took a sip of the tea. It was warm; he held it for too long. He sighed, putting his tea on the table, no longer interested in it. Sasuke hadn't said a word since they arrived in the room, and the silence was starting to get to Naruto.

Sitting still was never one of Naruto's strong points. Sasuke was the one hurting must and naruto had to take care of him until Sasuke came back. Auntie Haruno said Sakura would return today and left to pick her up from the hospital. That was a while ago.

Naruto looked out the window; the sky had already turned gold. What was taking them so long?

"How come?" Sasuke said, finally breaking the silence and getting Naruto's attention.

"Hmm?"

"How can you be so cheerful after what happened? Sasuke asked. The question surprised Naruto, though it shouldn't have.

"Cause I'm not a cry baby like you," Naruto teased.

"You!" Sasuke said, annoyed.

Naruto laughed at his expense. For a moment, everything was okay. It was like they were at the academy trying to one-up each other and annoying Sakura. But that moment couldn't last forever. Naruto's laughter died down and he had a question to answer.

"That's how I handle the pain." He said honestly. "I smile and pretend it doesn't hurt. Sakura always said I was like the sun, bright warm, and overwhelming. If I was sad, it would be like dark clouds blocking out the sun." he traced the floormat with his eyes avoiding eye contact. "Sakura's always trying to protect me; I want to protect her for once." It didn't take a genius to know the reason Sakura attacked the masked man. Sakura was protecting him like she always had.

He was a monster, she knew it, yet she still tried to protect him.

"Sakura wanted me to keep smiling," he grinned, "so that's what I'm going to do."

"Idiot," Sasuke chastised.

"What did you say!?" Naruto yelled, offended.

"Keeping your feeling bottled up will only worry Sakura more." Sasuke didn't meet his eyes. She'll know your hurting. You'll just hurt her by bottling it all up."

His dam broke, knowing Sasuke's words to be true. His lips trembled as his cheeks became wet with tears.

"Then what am I suppose to do!?" he demanded, gripping his chest that ached. "Sakura got hurt because of me! I'm nothing but a burden to her!" His sobs filled the silence that followed his outburst. He needed to control his emotions; they said his emotions would release the Nine tails. He couldn't lose control again.

Sasuke stood in front of Naruto's sobbing form and kneed in front of him. Naruto looked up at him and got a poked on the forehead for his trouble. He covered his forehead, rubbing the sore spot.

"What was that for?"

"Get stronger," Sasuke said, silencing him. "Get strong enough to protect anyone and everyone. That way, you can actually protect her for once."

There was a moment where naruto felt awe for his rival, but then that moment passed.

"You're actually pretty smart, huh?"

Sasuke attacked him.

I really hope Sasuke's revenge speech of vengeance was malicious. I'm not good with malice, like at all. My go-to reaction to negativity is to cry. Revenge and grudges are beyond me. I'll avoid you, but as far as hating you, yeah best look somewhere else mate.