Capítulo 7: Chapter 7: The Unlikely Savior
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Chapter 7: The Unlikely Savior
If there was one thing that Kenshin disliked the most as his role as the clan head of the Uchiha, it was putting up with the elders of his clan. But that wasn't to say that he didn't like his clan. Far from it. He saw his clan in a good light, the only problem being their constant arrogance and secludedness from every other clan in the village. Kenshin did know that it wasn't entirely the clan's fault, however. It was mostly due to their role in the village as leaders of the Municipal Police. And it was because of all of this that he was happy at being the clan head.
'I have a chance at fixing all of this,' he thought as he stood before the elders in one of the more private rooms in the clan compound.
The elders all had a troubled look on their faces. Not that Kenshin could blame them. He too was troubled at Sasuke's sudden and mysterious appearance.
"What are we going to do about this situation?" one of the elders muttered. But thanks to the silence in the room, everyone else had been able to hear it.
"More importantly, what does the Hokage mean to do about this? Is he going to take the boy?" asked one of the other older men.
"Impossible!" exclaimed another. "If what Kenshin told is true, then the Hokage has no right to do that! The boy is an Uchiha. What happens to him is up to us, not him."
"You mean me," Kenshin cut in with narrowed eyes. This was the major reason he wasn't fond of the elders. While it was true that they were only there to advise him, they did wield a great amount of influence in the clan and power as well. But they abused them most of the time to go against many of his decisions. It was why he didn't get along with them too well and vice versa.
"As the clan head, the fate of the boy is in my hands. And no matter what, I won't let you do anything to him."
"Can you not be stubborn for once!" one elder screamed. "This is a very serious matter. It's unlike any other in our clan history.
The other elders nodded.
"That's right. The possibility of our bloodline in the hands of one of the other villages is a grave one. If this happens to be the case, then it is our duty to fix the matter at all cost and with any means necessary."
Kenshin definitely did not like the sound of that. "I know where you're coming from. I feel the same way. Except that we don't know if this is the case or not. At least, not yet. Especially since the boy has no memories of what's happened or how he got here in the first place."
The elders looked at one another, a troubled look in their faces. The fact that they boy's mind showed nothing of his past was a troubling fact. Just how could that be? Some jutsu that could counter the Yamanaka's?
One of the elders in the back spoke up. "Then tell us, Kenshin, what is it that you wish to do regarding the boy?"
The other elders looked at him as well, waiting for his answer.
Kenshin sighed, not saying a thing for a few seconds as he organized his thoughts. Seconds later, he finally responded with, "The Hokage plans on keeping an eye on the boy for right now since it's still unsure of whether he's just simply an innocent child or something else. But he has chosen to let me decide as to what shall happen to him. And I plan on bringing him here, in the compound with us. Like I said, he is an Uchiha like us, regardless of the fact that he wasn't born here."
The clan elders were silent for a few moments, taking the time to process what Kenshin had just said.
"There's no problem with that," the same elder from before said, braking the silence. "We agree that that's the best course of action right now. If this child can remember where he comes from, it'll be to our advantage for him to be with us. But there's one other thing that needs to be discussed and decided upon…."
Kenshin nodded, already knowing what he was talking about. "Yes, I know. I'll ask the Hokage to see if he can match the boy's blood sample with one of the clan members."
The elders nodded, feeling content that Kenshin at least agreed with them in this fact. After all, if there was no other Uchiha clan in one of the other villages and this boy was the only one, then that meant that one of the other clan members had had a relationship with an outsider. And that went directly against their clan laws. It also meant that the person responsible needed to pay for his or her actions.
"If that's all, then I'll take my leave," Kenshin said as he turned away from them and walked out of the room. He needed to meet with Sarutobi and see if they could get any other answers from Sasuke. If the boy was awake anyway.
The elders merely watched him leave. They too had many things that still needed to be discussed.
Dead silence.
Back in Konoha's main hospital where Sasuke was currently staying in, things had taken an unexpected turn. To Hiruzen, there weren't many things that he thought which could surprise him anymore. He was the Third Hokage, one of the strongest shinobi of all times. He had also been the student of both Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, two shinobi who were capable of doing things others could only dream of. Needless to say, he had seen a lot in his life. But nothing came close to what the young eight year old sitting in the bed in front of him had just said.
It was completely unexpected to the man. He had already been thinking that Sasuke was nothing but a simple boy, other than the mysteries surrounding him of course. Most notably his Uchiha lineage and the fact that his mind was a complete blank. But then a bomb had just been dropped on him.
"W-what did you just say?"
Sasuke looked at him with complete seriousness in his onyx colored eyes. "I meant what I said, Hokage. This should also clear all the questions that you have surrounding me. Why I'm an Uchiha even though the clan has no knowledge of my existence until last night. Why I appeared out of the blue just like that."
Sasuke turned his head to the side, looking out the window to the village beyond. It seemed that no matter the time, the buildings looked similar. But the young Uchiha knew that when he set foot in the village, he would be able to see the differences from his time.
He turned his head to look at Sarutobi again when he saw the man walking towards the door through his peripherals. This wasn't exactly a good sign. But he kept his calmed look. Nothing good would come if he started to panic.
The Sandaime didn't say a word to Sasuke as he stopped in front of the door, locking it as well as placing a silencing seal on the doorway. While he wasn't overly proficient in fuinjutsu, he would even go as far as to say that he was at best just a bit above average, he had learned to utilize this type of seal in situations like these. He wanted complete privacy right now.
Turning around to look at Sasuke, Sarutobi's look had changed. He had neither his shocked look from before nor his kind one. Now, standing before Sasuke, was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the man who had become the Sandaime Hokage and nicknamed the "God of Shinobi."
"Explain yourself, boy. Right now."
Sasuke had to hand it to the man. He certainly knew when to look threatening when he needed to be. Then again, Sasuke knew just how ridiculous what he had just said sounded. If it hadn't been him that had gone through this and someone told him the same thing, then he wouldn't believe the person either. But he needed to convince the Hokage that what he was saying was true. It would make his stay in the village a lot easier down the line. And when Naruto showed up too. If he ever did anyway.
Putting those thoughts aside for now, Sasuke focused on the Hokage. "What do you want me to tell you?"
"Everything," Sarutobi answered instantly, his eyes narrowing in warning. "And take care of what you say, boy. If this is a prank, then it's not a funny one."
Sasuke shook his head. "It's not a prank. I assure you. What I'm telling you is true. I'm from the future. And I'm not the only one either."
"What do you mean by that?"
Sasuke raised one of his hands. "I'll get to that. But first, I guess I should start out by saying just how I got here in the first place."
"Yes, that seems like a good idea."
Sasuke almost rolled his eyes at that. Lowering his hand, the Uchiha organized his thoughts for a moment. Finally, he began his story.
"I have to ask you this first: do you know of the Juubi?"
Sarutobi raised one of his eyebrows at the question. "Yes. I know of the myth."
Sasuke grinned at that. "It's not a myth, Sandaime. The beast is real. And I've seen it and fought it. It's because of it that I'm here right now. Or partially anyway."
Sarutobi's eyes widened. "But how! And what do you mean you were fighting it!?"
"It's a long story, but I'll try to shorten it as much as I can," Sasuke said slowly. "In the future, there will be an organization composed completely of S-rank criminals that will come together for the purpose of gathering all nine bijuu."
Sarutobi already didn't like what he was hearing.
Sasuke continued. "Originally, none of the nations gave them any serious thought, mainly because of how quiet they completed their objectives. At least, that was the case until I became a part of it."
Sarutobi made to comment but Sasuke spoke first. "I'll answer all of your questions in due time. Just let me finish first."
Hiruzen could only nod. He needed to know this, and if what Sasuke was saying was true. But already he was skeptical. Really. Just how could an eight year old boy be an S-rank criminal?
"As I was saying, I joined the organization, Akatsuki, for personal reasons." And that was putting it lightly. But he wasn't about to tell the Hokage how he had been planning on destroying this place. That would just complicate things. "I was tasked with capturing the Hachibi who apparently was the Raikage's brother. That caused for the man to call a Kage Summit to get the villages aware of the threat of the Akatsuki." At least, that was what Sasuke thought he called it for. Oh well. Not like it mattered anymore. "I was also at the meeting and ended up fighting the Kage until the true leader of Akatsuki arrived."
Sasuke stopped for a moment, hesitating before continuing, "The true leader was Uchiha Madara."
"WHAT!"
And that was why Sasuke had hesitated. He knew that would have been of great shock to the man. And Sasuke now knew how right he was.
As for Sarutobi, he was looking even more shocked than ever before. Of course, he had known Uchiha Madara. Not personally of course. Just seen him around the village ever so often. But he knew how powerful the man had been. The only one to be able to fight on even grounds with Hashirama. But Hashirama had defeated the man years ago! At the cost of his own life, but still. And yet, he was being told that the man had survived!? Which meant that he was still alive right now. But it was preposterous!
Sensing all of this, Sasuke carried on, "I know how crazy this sounds. But it's the truth. Or so everyone thought."
Sarutobi looked at him. "And that means what?"
"The man had apparently used Madara's name as a persona, as a way to intimate the Kage."
Sarutobi calmed down at hearing that. "So he wasn't Madara?"
Sasuke shook his head. "No. But he was still dangerous. And he's also the reason why I'm here today."
Hiruzen nodded slowly. "Continue."
The Uchiha did just that. "I already told you how the Akatsuki's motive was to collect the bijuu. And the reason they were doing that is because they needed all nine bijuu to bring back the Juubi."
"Does the beast really exist?"
Sasuke nodded. But before he could continue, someone interrupted him.
"Sasuke, use your sharingan."
'What?'
"Just do it. It'll make your story more believable. Trust me."
Sasuke decided to do so. The Sennin had given him no reason to doubt him just yet.
Sarutobi was taken back for a moment as Sasuke activated his sharingan. "Y-You can use your sharingan! But you're so young!"
He had never seen that before.
Sasuke snorted lightly at that. But then he remembered that he was a little kid again, so he could understand why the Hokage would be surprised. Whatever. He would explained that too.
In the next moment, Sarutobi found himself in a white empty space with Sasuke standing before him. A look of surprise flashed on the Uchiha's face for a moment.
'You upgraded my genjutsu?'
There was soft laughter. "Yes. For the moment while I'm with you. In here, just picture whatever it is that you want to convey and it will appear. It's that simple."
'Alright.'
Now Sarutobi was really taken back. 'This small boy can use his sharingan and cast a genjutsu on me….' It was almost unbelievable if it wasn't happening in front of him.
It was then that Sasuke started to grow, returning to both his normal age and clothing which just made Hiruzen even more shock at the situation.
"W-what-"
"It's what I really look like," Sasuke answered. "I'm not a small kid. I'm actually seventeen. My turning into an eight year old kid is simply one of the side effects of my time travel."
Well, that certainly cleared up a few things.
Turning to the side, Sasuke made the last scene of the battlefield that he had witnessed before the explosion of the Juubi and both Obito and Madara.
"Here. This is what happened."
Sarutobi's eyes were even wider now as he saw the battle before him.
"The man acting as Madara, or Tobi as he called himself as well, declared war on all Five Nations when they denied handing over both the Hachibi and Kyuubi, the last bijuu he needed in order to bring back the Juubi. The Fourth Great Ninja War. It was also during this war where another shinobi on their side resurrected the real Madara using the Edo Tensei. I'm sure you heard of it. It was Madara who had planned all of this as well."
And Sarutobi had heard of the Edo Tensei. It had been created by the Nidaime, after all. And the man had been one of his teachers in the past.
"Unfortunately, Tobi did manage to resurrect the beast and make himself the jinchuriki. But the power was too great for him to handle. And because of that, the Juubi was soon able to get out of control, causing an explosion through time and space which I was sucked into."
The image disappeared and the two were back in the white empty space.
"And it was there where I was given the choice of accepting the mission that I now am in."
Sarutobi turned his head to look at him. "And what mission is that? And by whom?"
Sasuke closed his eyes, answering as he did so. "My mission is to save the this world, to prevent what you just saw a reality. To prevent both Tobi and Madara's plan. And this mission was given to me by a man who is considered to be as much of a myth as the Juubi is." Sasuke's eyes opened.
"The Rikudo Sennin."
Sarutobi thought he couldn't be surprised any longer with this story, but that had just been proven incorrect. "The creator of the Shinobi world!? Him!"
Sasuke nodded. "Yes, that's right. And it was through his powers that I was able to travel through time to get here."
"Then did he block your memories as well!?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"
"During the time that you were unconscious, I had a member of the Yamanaka clan go through your mind to see where you came from and what you were trying to do here. But he found nothing. Your mind was as blank as this place we're in."
Now that surprised Sasuke a lot. He hadn't thought about the possibility of that happening.
"Yes, Sasuke, I'm the one responsible for that. I had your mind become impregnable of their jutsu. I had a feeling that it would be one of the first things they would try to do. And that would have jeopardized everything."
Sasuke owed him one alright. Turning his attention back to the expecting Sarutobi, he answered, "Yes. Apparently he did. He didn't know what you would do if you found all of this out. Hell, I wasn't even supposed to tell you anything. Just to blend in here and act like an innocent little child."
"Then why?" Sarutobi pressed on. "Why are you telling me this? What makes you so sure that I'll believe anything you tell me?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I don't. I don't know if you'll believe me. It's a high stake gamble for me. But I knew that I would need your help if I'm going to be here without worrying too much. After all, I know that, even if you do release me when I'm able to, that you'll still keep a close eye on me and what I do. Isn't that right? That'll highly restrict my movements. So I decided that removing that hindrance is a better option."
Sarutobi became quiet as he heard that. The Uchiha had hit right on the money with his deductions. There was just no way that he would have let the young boy off into his village without knowing what he was up to. At least, until he was absolutely certain that the boy wasn't up to anything. Even if the Uchiha did bring him in. So it made sense that Sasuke would tell him all of this.
"Is that all that you have to say?"
Sasuke nodded. "More or less. I did skip a lot of details. But I can tell you anything else you want to know when we're in a better location and have more time. I only told you the imperative stuff. But hopefully that's enough for you to know that what I'm telling you is true."
Although in all honesty Sasuke did have a backup plan. But that only depended on one thing. Or rather, two people. If his calculations were right anyway.
Sarutobi closed his eyes as he sighed. "In all honesty, this is a lot to take in and believe. It sounds more like a fairy tale to me than anything else."
"Do you still want more proof?"
The Hokage opened his eyes, looking at him with curiosity. "You still have more?"
Sasuke nodded, albeit slowly.
"Oh? What else could you possibly have, Sasuke?"
'If the time period we're in you told me is true, then they should be alive right now. It's all that I'll need.'
The Sennin understood what Sasuke was saying instantly. "Heh. You've become quite ingenious, haven't you?"
Sasuke didn't answer him.
"What is it then?"
"My parents," the Uchiha answered immediately.
Now that made Sarutobi confused for a moment. "Your parents? What about them?"
Sasuke clarified. "If I'm in the time period that I think I'm in, then they should already have been born. Although they're probably around my age. An eight year old kid I mean. But if I can prove that they're my parents, when it should be impossible for them to have any kids, then you'll have to believe me, Sandaime."
Sarutobi knew that Sasuke was right on that. If what Sasuke was saying was true, then it would be undeniable.
"You're right. If they really are that young, then it'll be true. But how are you planning on proving this to me, Sasuke?"
Sasuke put his arm forward. "My blood. Take some of my samples and match it with their own. Then, once it matches with theirs, you'll know that what I'm saying is the complete truth."
Sarutobi looked at the Uchiha in front of him. The boy did seem confident in what he was saying. If this was bluff, then he was executing it perfectly. But that didn't concern Sarutobi. Because it was exactly what he was going to do. He needed to know if this was all true or not.
Hiruzen nodded. "Very well then. I'll get on that right away."
Sasuke retracted his arm. "Alright. And it would be better if you did it now before the Uchiha clan head arrives, so that we'll be on the same page."
"Yes, I understand. One final thing. What's your parents' names?"
Sasuke closed his eyes as he answered, releasing them both from the genjutsu.
"Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku."
Kenshin was walking down the hallway that led to Sasuke's room. After his talk with the elders, he had made his to the hospital right away. No other stops whatsoever. He wanted to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. Especially since he had the other headache to deal with: choosing his heir.
And that wouldn't be problematic as it automatically passed down from father to son. But he had two sons. And while that wouldn't be problematic either since the first born had the right to become next clan head, the problem laid in the fact that Kenshin didn't think his first child was suitable to become clan head. To him, Fugaku was everything that he was trying to fix with the clan. The boy was simply too prideful merely because of the fact that he was born an Uchiha much like with most others Uchiha. Needless to say, the elders thought he was perfect. And in there laid the problem.
Kenshin didn't think he was right for the job. He would just lead the Uchiha into deeper problems. He knew that. That wasn't to say that he didn't love the boy. He was still his son. But he knew that he had to think for the better of both the Uchiha and Konoha. Mainly, their relations with one another. They were bad enough already. The war was the only thing that was keeping things from escalating any further.
Kenshin sighed as he reached Sasuke's room. He would think about this later after he told Sarutobi what he planned to do with Sasuke and ask him for the blood exam. The issue needed to be resolved as soon as possible.
Just as he was about to go into the room, he saw Sarutobi turning from the other side of the hallway and making his way to where he was. Kenshin raised an eyebrow at seeing this.
'And here I thought that he had gotten here before me….' But he wasn't coming from the entrance either. Did that mean that he had been waiting for Kenshin to arrive then?
"Morning, Kenshin," Sarutobi greeted him as he stopped in front of him.
Kenshin nodded at him. "Morning, Hiruzen. Did you just get here or?"
Sarutobi shook his head. "No, I've been here since early this morning. I came to cheek on the boy, but he was still asleep. So I went to the doctor to see if there had been any changes in the boy's status."
"I see. Has there?"
"None at all. Apparently he's been sleeping soundly all night. Hopefully he's awake now."
Kenshin nodded in agreement and opened the door to Sasuke's room. Walking inside, both men did find Sasuke awake, not that Sarutobi didn't know that. He was currently sitting up and staring out the window. There was also a tray on the small table next to his bed. It seemed like a nurse had brought him food already.
"Good morning, Sasuke," Kenshin said as he stopped in front of his bed like the night before. Sarutobi stood next to him. "I hope you've slept well."
Removing his gaze from the window, Sasuke looked at his future grandfather. He glanced at Sarutobi, trying to see if the man now believed what he had told him. He hadn't returned after he had left which had been about an hour ago or so if he had to guess.
"Good morning, Uchiha-san," Sasuke greeted back, trying to be as polite as possible. He knew that today was the day that decided a lot of things for his future stay here. He didn't want to piss the guy off. Especially since the man was his grandfather.
Kenshin waved his hand. "There's no need for that formal stuff. Just call me Kenshin."
Sasuke merely looked at him, wondering if this man really was the father of his father. Because so far, he resembled nothing of what Sasuke remembered of his father. Then again, he had just met him a few hours ago.
But seeing the man waiting for a response, the young Uchiha settled for a nod.
Seeing this, Kenshin continued with what he wanted to say. "So the doctors haven't told us anything yet, but it seems that you're getting back up on your feet pretty quickly. Which is good. So whenever they give us the okay, I'd like to bring you with me to live with the Uchiha…."
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat at hearing that. To live in the compound again? But most importantly, with the Uchiha clan actually alive and intact? It was all that he'd been wishing for all these years. And it was finally coming true!
Sasuke had to use every ounce of his willpower to control his emotions. He didn't want Kenshin to get the wrong idea. Or the Hokage for that matter. After all, he had left out just what exactly became of the Uchiha clan. And why he even joined the Akatsuki in the first place. Which was all to destroy Konoha.
"Me? But why?"
Kenshin smiled at him. "We discussed this yesterday, Sasuke. You're an Uchiha, remember? You're one of us. And what better place for you to be than among us in our compound? Hopefully you don't have any problems with this."
Sasuke looked at him for a moment, but he was also seeing how Sarutobi was reacting to all of this. The man was looking like nothing was bothering him. And Sasuke didn't know how to interpret that. At the very least, he could tell that he hadn't said a word to Kenshin about what he had told him. So that was good. But he still didn't know how the man stood. He could only hope that the Hokage did believe him. The only way Sasuke could see that he didn't was if his parents weren't even born yet. But he had done the math.
Seeing Sarutobi not having anything to say, Sasuke decided to go along with this. It wasn't like he was opposed to the idea either. Looking at the man, Sasuke could only nod.
Kenshin grinned at seeing the nod. "Excellent! I'll arrange the necessary paperwork. So don't you worry. From this day on, you're Uchiha Sasuke!"
Sasuke had to fight back a smile, but failed as a small one did appear on his face. He was feeling something he hadn't felt in a while: true happiness. And he had to admit that it was a great feeling.
Inside his mind, the Rikudo Sennin sensed all of this as well as the thoughts that Sasuke was having. Needless to say, he was already happy at having done all of this. And not only with Sasuke, but with Naruto as well. The blond was enjoying his time with his family greatly. But he had to put that thought to the back of his mind right now. He didn't want to the think about what it made him think about for the future.
Back with Sasuke, Kenshin looked at Sarutobi who nodded at him, showing him that he had no opposition to Sasuke moving to the Uchiha compound. The grin on the man's face became bigger at seeing the Hokage's approval.
Looking back at Sasuke, he said, "Well, it's all settled then. I'll get back to you when I've made all necessary preparations. But don't worry. It shouldn't take you long. Hopefully, the doctors will let you out soon. I'll talk to you later then, Sasuke."
Sasuke could only nod at him as the both he and the Hokage made to leave the room.
Hiruzen allowed for Kenshin to walk out first, which allowed him to give Sasuke a nod while Kenshin's back was on them.
It was also everything that Sasuke needed. The man believed him.
Closing the door behind him, Sarutobi looked at the beaming man. "Well, you certainly are happy."
Kenshin grinned. "Of course. I don't know why, but something tells me that that boy has seen a lot of hardships in his young life. I just want to make sure that nothing else happens to him is all."
'You do have a big heart, Kenshin,' Sarutobi thought. It was a rare quality to see among the Uchiha. And for it to be the clan head nonetheless. Completely unexpected. If only the Nidaime had been around long enough to meet the man. Then maybe his views on the Uchiha might have changed a bit.
"By the way, Hiruzen, I have something else to ask you."
Sarutobi came out of his thoughts at hearing that. "What is it?"
Kenshin sighed as he said, "I spoke to the elders this morning as you know. Thankfully they didn't try to argue against me bringing Sasuke into the Uchiha. Of course, they have different reasons for doing this. But we've also agreed that we need to know if Sasuke's parents are within the clan or not. Because if they are, that would be both a relief and a problem. But a problem within our clan and not the village, so you wouldn't have to worry about that."
'Oh, his parents are definitely in the clan,' Sarutobi thought. But he knew that Kenshin didn't need to know that. And while he didn't like lying to the man, he knew that he had no choice with that. Not if he wanted to help Sasuke in stopping that damnable future from occurring.
Settling for a nod, the Sandaime said, "I'm guessing you're not too happy about that?"
Kenshin sighed. "Don't get me wrong. I already told you how I feel about that law. What I'm angry about here is the fact that whoever did it had the guts to leave their own child behind. As a parent, I find that to be unforgivable."
Turning away, Kenshin was about to make his leave until he remembered something. "Oh, and do let me know if Sasuke starts to remember something. I doubt it, but just in case it does. I don't want to seem like that's the only thing that I care about."
'Which is why you didn't ask him anything about it,' Hiruzen realized. Kenshin wanted for the boy to be more comfortable before asking anything again. It went without saying that the man was showing a lot of faith in the boy. Especially after only having met him mere hours ago. Hiruzen knew better now, but for Kenshin the possibility that Sasuke was in the village for alternative motives hadn't completely disappeared.
With that, the man took his leave and began to walk away down the hallway towards the main exit of the hospital. He still had to inform the elders of the decision and make all necessary preparations regarding Sasuke joining them.
Chuckling, Hiruzen turned to the door. He still needed to finish his conversation with Sasuke.
"It looks like your gamble paid off, Sasuke."
'I know. It was extremely convenient that my parents are already alive in this time. Otherwise, it would have been harder to convince the Hokage. It probably would have come down to you revealing yourself to him for it to happen.'
"Hahaha, true. Let's just be glad it didn't come to that. I don't want too many people knowing that I can speak to you and Naruto."
'I'll have to tell him. Everything. It can't be avoided.'
"True. But I trust the Hokage will be able to keep it a secret."
'Yes. Otherwise him believing me won't be too much of a good thing down the road. But I have something to ask you…'
"Oh? And what would that be?"
'You knew that my parents were already alive, didn't you?'
"Hmm….maybe, maybe not. What's your point?"
My point is that instead of me going through with it and thinking that there was a chance I could be wrong, why didn't you just tell me?'
"Heh, interesting question. But assuming that what you say is true, I already gave you the answer to that. I told you that I wasn't going to interfere but let you go about doing things however you pleased. The fact that I made your genjutsu more powerful was a bit more of an assistance than I had intended."
'I see….'
Sasuke had gotten his answer already. Turning to the door as he opened, Sasuke watched as how it was only Sarutobi who came in this time.
"I'm guessing that the clan head left already."
Sarutobi chuckled. "Don't you mean your grandfather?"
Sasuke looked to the side, noticing how the Hokage's attitude had changed again now that he knew that he was telling the truth. "Yes, that too. But I never got to meet him, so I'm not used to calling him that."
Sarutobi looked a bit saddened at the news. "I see. Well, that is most unfortunate. But now, we need to focus on where we left off before."
Sasuke turned his head to look at him. "I already told you the important stuff, save for the fact that I'm not the only one who came back to the past."
Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, I remember you mentioned that before. Which leaves me to ask as to why he's not here?"
Sasuke looked down at his hands. "He's…...somewhere else right now. Apparently he has his own things to take care of right now while I'm here."
"I see….and his name?"
Sasuke smirked slightly as he answered. "Uzumaki Naruto."
Sarutobi's eyes widened slightly at the name. "Uzumaki you say? So the Uzumaki clan still exists in the future? Thank goodness."
Sasuke shook his head at hearing that. "No, it doesn't. I don't know the details, but apparently they were wiped out sometime in the future. I myself didn't know it existed until recently. So I don't know how exactly Naruto ended up becoming an Uzumaki."
"That's even more sad news," Sarutobi said with a sigh. "Hopefully that can be prevented this time around."
'Hopefully,' Sasuke thought. He knew the pain Naruto would feel if the clan was wiped out this time around. It'd be the same thing that he had to go through. And somewhere in his heart the Uchiha knew that he didn't want the blond knucklehead to go through with that.
Sighing again, Hiruzen continued on. "Another thing that I have to ask is that you said it was through the events in the Fourth Shinobi War that led you and Naruto here. We're currently in the middle of the Second. Does that mean there's a Third too?"
Sasuke nodded. "Yes. If I remembered correctly, war breaks out again soon after the Second one ends."
"Even more war," Sarutobi muttered with another sigh. This one was horrible enough, having had claimed the Nidaime along with it. And to imagine that yet another one would erupt? It was a horrible thought indeed.
"Do you know who wins?"
"Konoha," Sasuke answered. "Both times. I don't really remember specifics. But the village comes on top during both wars."
Sarutobi did have to sigh in relief at hearing that. But then he had to remember that that was how it had gone before, not now. Things could still change. The prime example being the fact that he was having this particular conversation at the moment. He knew that he it wasn't supposed to have happened. Originally anyway.
"There's just one last thing that I have to ask you for the moment before I ask you the whole story at a later day."
"What is it?"
Sarutobi hesitated for a moment, asking himself one last time if he should ask this but at the end deciding to do so.
"Why did you become a criminal? Even going as far as joining this organization, Akatsuki. Especially since your father is the future clan head. You must have been part of Konoha. So why did you go rogue?"
Sasuke closed his eyes at hearing the question. That was the last thing he wanted to answer as it reminded him of both the fate of the Uchiha clan and his brother.
"That…is somewhat a difficult thing to answer."
"We have a bit of time. And I'd like the answer if you wouldn't mind."
Sasuke sighed, knowing the man wasn't going to relent. "Fine. I guess the first thing you should know is that when I was a little kid, and I mean really a little kid, the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out."
Just like when Sasuke had first been telling him that he was from the future, Sarutobi's eyes widened. "W-what did you just say?"
If not for the situation, Sasuke would have founded it a bit funny how the man repeated the same thing with the same expression twice.
"That's right. The Uchiha clan was killed off….by my older brother."
And the surprises just kept on coming. "Explain."
Sasuke sighed, deciding to just get this out of the way now.
"The Uchiha clan had long since been outsider of the villages, even having the clan compound moved to the outskirts of the village. There were many in the clan who felt this was wrong. It wasn't long before the feeling spread to the majority. Even to my father who decided that the Uchiha had been put down long enough. So he decided to plan a coup d'état and take over the village."
Hiruzen could close his eyes at hearing this.
"But apparently because of a certain incident, the higher ups in the village weren't so trustful of the clan at the time. One of which was you."
Sarutobi looked on in surprise. He was still alive at the time? Well, that was quite a shocker. And what certain incident?
But Sasuke didn't pay attention to that. Instead, he continued. "So you placed a spy in the clan. Which was none other than Uchiha Itachi, my older brother. But to the Uchiha, they thought that Itachi was actually a spy for them when in fact it was the other way around. It was through him that you managed to find out what the Uchiha were planning. Apparently you tried to reason with them, even going as far as to asking Itachi to buy you more time. But someone else didn't see it this way. Danzo," Sasuke said the name with much hatred, "made Itachi choose to take action right away, using his love for the village to his advantage. So he chose to take down the Uchiha before they could follow through with their plan, only sparring me. He then left the village as a rogue nin and even acting as a spy in the Akatsuki for the village in the condition that you keep me safe. But I didn't know any of that. To me, Itachi was simply the murderer of my family. So I planned to take revenge on him. It was later after I had finally become a genin that I met Orochimaru, who offered me power in order to take down Itachi."
"Orochimaru?" Sarutobi repeated in confusion. "Why would he-"
"That's something else that I left out before," Sasuke interrupted. "I don't know how he is right now, but I know that he'll defect the village one day, even forming his own hidden village."
This was the biggest shocker to Sarutobi. Out of everything else that Sasuke had told him, this was just…..
"That can't be," Sarutobi muttered. "He's a shinobi of Konoha. A proud shinobi. How could this-"
"I don't know," Sasuke stated with a shake of his head, even though he knew exactly why. But that was something that he didn't want to touch on. "He had his own motives. But he did develop much hatred for this village. I don't know why he did either." Now, that was the truth. "He went even as far as planning an invasion. He almost succeeded too."
That just seemed impossible to Hiruzen. There was just no way that his prized student could ever become something like that. Just no way!
"I'm telling you the truth," Sasuke stated, seeing the denial on the Hokage's face. "You already believed me when I told you that I'm from the future. So I know exactly what happens."
Hiruzen sighed, finding a way to come out of his shock. "Yes, I understand." He would deal with that particular piece of information later. "Please, continue."
Sasuke did. "As I was saying, Orochimaru came before me and offered me enough power to take down Itachi. Eventually, I took it. It was then that I left the village and become a rogue nin. For more than two years, I trained under him. But for Orochimaru, it was simply for my sharingan. He wasn't interested in my revenge. He just wanted to take over my body through a forbidden jutsu he had developed."
Hiruzen paid rapt attention, still not believing that this was what became of his student.
"So when the time came, I struck at him and ended up using his own jutsu against him and absorbing him and his power. The same power which I used to take down Itachi. But it was after that that Tobi came before me and told me everything of what happened that night. The real truth."
Sarutobi frowned at hearing that. If he remembered correctly, Tobi was the one who posed as Madara.
Sasuke looked to the side as he continued. "The reason he knew was because he had helped Itachi that night, and the two carried out the destruction of the clan. I felt angry. Angry at what my brother had done. But even more angry at what the village had done to him. So I bowed vengeance on this place. It was then that I joined Akatsuki when they promised to let me use the bijuu against the village if I helped them capture the Hachibi. But the jinchuriki managed to escape, and you know what follows after that."
Silence was what followed after that.
Hiruzen looked at the boy in front of him, reminding himself that he was dealing with a seventeen year old boy. But to think that he had gone through so much in his life already…..it was just painful to know that. Not even he could say that he had seen much suffering. Sure, he had lost many comrades through the war. But that didn't compare to having his entire family wiped out. Or having been forced to kill his own brother.
'Just what is this shinobi world?' Sarutobi wondered to himself. He knew exactly what Hashirama had expected when he created this village. He had asked the man once. And it was nothing to what the world currently was. It was pretty much the same before the village system had been founded, the only difference now being that instead of clans going against each other it was the villages. And it only got worse in the future it seemed. He could see exactly what Sasuke was trying to prevent. But it also brought a small smile to the Sandaime's face. Here, in front of him was a shinobi who had spent most of his life, if not all, in the darkness. Simply living for his vengeance that he wanted to complete. And yet, here he was, trying to save the world and the village that had caused him much suffering.
'Ironic how life works sometimes,' he thought as he looked at Sasuke. 'We're trying to be saved by the most unlikely of saviors. Hahaha...'
Ironic indeed.
'How does she know I'm an Uchiha?' Sasuke wondered to himself. He would have thought that the Hokage would have kept everything under the radar for now. But he could ask the man later.
Nodding, he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you too…."
"Mito. Uzumaki Mito."
'Uzumaki Mito!?' Sasuke thought, perplexed beyond belief. He was face to face with one of Naruto's relatives! He never would have thought that that would happen in his life.
Now the Sennin understood why he sensed something familiar with the woman. Not only was she one of his descendants, but she also had Kurama in her. This time's Kurama anyway. It explained a lot. But it was surprising that she would come to visit Sasuke. He wondered why.
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke."
Mito nodded. "Yes, so I've been told. I must say, you've been on Saru's mind recently."
Sasuke looked at her, confused as to who Saru was.
Realizing this, the Uzumaki corrected herself. "The Hokage. Sorry, my boy. I guess I'm too familiar with him sometimes," she said as she laughed.
'It's better than old man,' Sasuke thought, remembering Naruto's nickname for the Sandaime. The blond just could never be formal to save his life.
"Do you know about your clan?" Mito asked as she walked towards the window, staring out into the village much like Sasuke did.
Sasuke shook his head slowly, not knowing where the woman was going with this. He also realized that he had to be careful here. One wrong mistake, and she could find out that he wasn't just a little kid.
"They're one of the most powerful clans in history," Mito continued. "They do possess incredible abilities, abilities most people can never hope to accomplish."
Sasuke knew what she was talking about. After all, he had those abilities.
"But…." Mito turned away from the window to face him. "As gifted as they are, the Uchiha often find themselves limited. And the reason for this is quite simple. It's because they limit themselves to what they're born with, not pushing themselves even harder. If they did, they would find themselves with even more incredible power."
Sasuke's mind suddenly remembered Itachi saying something similar to his father and the other Uchiha after he had been accused of killing Shisui.
Mito suddenly realized that she was talking to a little boy and not an adult. She only hoped that he understood at least a bit of what had said. Walking forward, the woman stopped right beside Sasuke, placing a hand on top of his head.
"If you take anything out of talking with this old woman is that you must always push yourself harder. Don't limit yourself to what you're born with. You'll see that you'll be able to become even more powerful."
Sasuke could only look at her, wondering why she was telling him any of this. It would take a few years before he finally figured it out.
The next few days went by fast. After the meeting with Mito, Sasuke hadn't seen or talk to anyone new. Both his grandfather and the Hokage did come by a couple of times to see how he was doing and if he was feeling better. He had also talked to the Hokage about the future a bit more, telling him other details that he hadn't before. Not only that, but the Hokage had found it in him to tell him that Uzu had apparently agreed to join in the war. Which meant that Naruto was also now dragged into this.
'Knowing him, he probably isn't too pleased with that….'
But at least the man was trusting him enough to tell him things. It was an improvement alright.
He hadn't talked with Mito again after their conversation. He hadn't even seen her either. Then again, he was stuck in a hospital room. Speaking of which, he was beginning to reach the end of his limit with being stuck here. It was annoying to say the least. He wanted out already!
Fortunately, after about being stuck in the hospital for about five days, the doctors had finally seen it safe enough to release him. When word of that reached Kenshin, the man showed up at the hospital as soon as he could. Apparently everything had been worked out regarding his stay with the Uchiha from now on. Everything had gone smoothly since no one was opposed to the idea.
It wasn't long after that he had finally left the hospital, much to his relief. His grandfather had been there to pick him up and escort him to the Uchiha compound where he would show him where he was going to stay from now on. Sasuke knew that everyone in the Uchiha was going to keep a close eye on him considering that he was an outsider and most likely not fully an Uchiha in their eyes. But that couldn't be helped he supposed.
Now dressed in a long sleeved black shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol proudly imprinted in the back, gray shorts, and the standard blue sandals, Sasuke walked alongside his grandfather as they entered the compound. It wasn't long before all nearby bystanders were pointing at them. Apparently a rumor had spread out in the clan that a young boy had been found near the village's gates and that he was apparently an Uchiha. Since nobody knew him, the were naturally assuming that Sasuke was that boy. Add to the fact that he was being escorted by the clan head himself.
'This is weird,' Sasuke thought to himself as he continued to walk. He had never been the center of attention in his clan. That had been Itachi's spot. But he guessed that he would have to get use to the stares for now. And it wasn't like he blamed them either. He probably would have done the same thing if he was in their shoes.
"Where will I be staying?" Sasuke asked as the two walked deeper into the compound.
"For now, you'll be staying with me and my sons," Kenshin answered as Sasuke recognized the big house they were walking to. It was the one that he had lived in as well.
But Sasuke did pick up on something. His grandfather hadn't mentioned his wife. He tried to think as to why that was but couldn't remember anything. Had his parents even told him about his grandmother? Hmm.
It wasn't long before the two reached the house and walked inside through the front door. There were two boys around Sasuke's age waiting there for them. Sasuke recognized one of them instantly. How could he not? It was his father. The other one looked like his father, which made Sasuke realize that it was his father's brother making him Sasuke's uncle. But Sasuke hadn't met him either. Nor had his father ever talked about him. He wondered why that was too.
The younger brother whistled as the two stopped in front of them. "He really does look like us, eh, Fugaku?"
Fugaku didn't respond, simply observing Sasuke with an unreadable look on his face. For Sasuke, standing before his father was certainly an interesting new experience, especially since the boy didn't know that he was coming face to face with one of his future kids.
Kenshin chuckled slightly at his younger son's comment. "Yes, he does, Kazuki. He's also going to be living with us from now on as I told you earlier." Both boys looked at his father with the newly named Kazuki nodding. Fugaku kept the same look on his face. "Now, introduced yourselves."
The younger one went first, pointing at his chest as he said, "I'm Uchiha Kazuki. Pleased to meet ya!"
"I'm Uchiha Fugaku."
Sasuke had to fight back another smile.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
To be continued....
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