Chương 16: Wake Up to Reality
"Honor, do you think is Honor that is keeping the Peace, No is Fear. Fear and Blood,"
Hiruzen
The old Hokage moved as fast as possible towards the Uchiha Compound, knowing what he would find there, despite knowing that, when he landed inside the compound, his eyes widened at sight before him. The scent of blood was strong everywhere, and it smelled like iron.
Crows had gathered and were feasting in some of the corpses.
Many of his ANBU's, including Kakashi, looked as shocked as him, even more than him. Hiruzen closed his eyes at the massacre in front of him; taking a deep breath, he left the weight of the situation to settle in his shoulder; despite seeing with his own eyes, he still couldn't believe that it had gotten so far, leaving only one option.
How many lives were lost today, and Konoha had just lost one of its most important Supporters. One of the clans that founded Hidden Leaf along with the Senju Clan.
"Check for anyone Alive," Hiruzen ordered, his ANBU spread around immediately, checking for anyone still breathing, for any sign to indicate that someone was still alive.
Hiruzen walked slowly around, observing everything in front of him, taking it all, his eyes checking the faces of the Dead Uchiha's lying on the ground.
Some had scared faces, while some looked in peace, almost as if they died sleeping.
Closing his eyes, he wondered what his sensei would think of this; Tobirama-Sensei always told him to do what's right for the Village, no matter what is it, no matter how hard is it, The Village always comes first.
Yet, he felt that this could have been avoided and why he felt that this hadn't been the right course of action. Could he have done something more? What would you do, Minato? Hiruzen found himself asking, and he did not doubt that his successor would have been able to come up with a solution that didn't involve killing the whole Clan.
I should have been the one to seal the fox inside Naruto, not you, The third thought with eyes full of regret and his head slightly lowered in shame, he had thought of that many times since that day, I would be with my wife, and Naruto would grow up with love. Not hatred, Hiruzen thought, remembering the face of her wife, her last words.
I will return once Kushina gives birth; we will have another grandson to spoil; Hiruzen escaped his thoughts.
More people suddenly landed, Hiruzen straightened up himself only to be greeted by his old teammate, who had a neutral face, but his eyes filled with something else entirely.
Hiruzen saw Danzo show up followed by two masked ANBU, probably his personal ANBU, Hiruzen thought with a frown on his face, his eyes narrowed at the two ANBU.
Kakashi looked at the bodies with dread; he hoped he wouldn't find Itachi here, as he rolled around another dead Uchiha, this one wasn't Itachi either. Yugao suddenly asked what everyone was wondering after silence had taken over the ANBU group, her tone filled with anger and sadness.
"Who could have done this?" She asked as he glanced at every ANBU near her as if asking what they thought, who could have been behind all this.
Many either shook their heads or just shrugged their shoulders, not knowing the answer and not coming up with any person that could be behind this...
Kakashi wasn't sure how to answer; if this was the work of an outsider, they could come back one day and slaughter another clan; his body almost flinched at the thought, but that sounded far fetched to the ANBU but not impossible, or the other option, they had a traitor amongst them; lurking around in the shadows.
Yet Kakashi couldn't think of anyone to do this, Uchiha had been extra wary of anyone outside of Uchiha Clan, Kakashi remembered when he visited Obito's old home the last month with Gai, his friend hadn't noticed or perhaps acted oblivious, but Kakashi had seen the clear dark looks at their direction, they were so intense that for a moment Kakashi had thought they might attack.
Kakashi escaped his thoughts when he heard Danzo state.
"It Was Itachi Uchiha," Danzo suddenly announced to everyone; every Shinobi froze from that piece of information except the two ANBU near Danzo.
"Why? It doesn't make sense," Kakashi finally spoke after everyone had fallen in silence.
"Uchiha Itachi despised his clan," Danzo answered; Kakashi could tell the man was hiding something, but it wasn't his job to ask questions.
Kakashi felt his breath stuck on his throat; why would Itachi do this, he had worked with the kid, and he looked normal, as far as he could tell, he didn't look like someone who enjoyed killing during the mission and looked like someone who held his family in a high pedestal.
Had he been able to hide things from me? Kakashi found himself asking, slightly perplexed and his thoughts filled with sadness. Obito's Clan was gone.
Then he remembered how close Naruto had been with the Uchiha clan, how he called Itachi big brother; Kakashi felt a pit on his stomach; how could he ever tell that to the little blonde, it will destroy him.
The silence took over the place; no one said anything when...
"Hokage-sama, we found one alive," an ANBU shouted, holding a child in her arms.
"To the hospital Now," The Hokage ordered with a booming voice before turning fully at his old friend, who didn't look fazed by his intense glare.
Before Hokage could utter a word, a massive explosion happened near them; the wind-wave passed, almost making them stumble, the debris fell around them as everyone's eyes turned to look at the explosion, but the chakra spreading right now made them all almost freeze in fear...
"Kyuubi," The Hokage murmured with dread under his breath as he walked forward; Kakashi was about to go closer when they saw a red figure slowly walking out of the smoke.
The figure looked small, but the red chakra shone through the smoke, and a tail...
Revealing itself, stood Naruto with red eyes, his whiskers had grown, a red chakra cloak spreading around his body, his cheeks swollen, tears still in his cheek, his pupil looked slit, skulking towards them, and a black ball was standing behind him.
"Naruto," Kakashi murmured, not believing he was here and influenced by Kyuubi's chakra.
No, he would not let him lose control; at that moment, Naruto left out a huge roar; the wind from his roar alone caused many to shield their faces.
Naruto was on his four limbs, and three tails spread behind his back.
Sarutobi was ready to act and knock him unconscious when tears started rolling down Naruto's cheek, as for a moment, he looked angry, sobbing yet in control.
"Hokage-Sama, W-Why, why is my Family Dead?" Naruto shouted with sadness and anger, his nails scratching the ground below his hands.
Hokage didn't respond; He knew whatever he said would not make things easier for his surrogate grandson; Naruto needed to be stopped before things got worse for him.
However, he didn't understand why he was here; Itachi informed him that he would make sure Naruto was in his apartment this night.
On the other hand, Naruto kept trying to get rid of Kurama's chakra around him, but all he could see and hear in front of him was his mother saying that he could call her mother, Itachi, and Shisui's smile, the promise of his big brother.
And he remembered all the glares, all the hatred this Village had brought to him, all that Pain.
"Naruto, you need to calm down, NOW. Think of your brother; Shisui would have wanted you to be happy," Kurama shouted in his head, hoping that his talk could calm down the little kid.
Naruto felt tears rolling down his cheek at the mention of Shisui.
"You're my little brother, and you're my family. Take care of Itachi,"
Naruto's head lowered, touching the ground, his breath stuck on his throat, feeling that he couldn't breathe, his hand fist, his palm bleeding as The Hokage saw this as the perfect opportunity to knock him down.
Rushing at him, one hit, and the little kid stopped moving; Naruto stood motionless, as the red chakra went away, any sign of Kyuubi's chakra was gone.
Hokage breathed a sigh of relief as he looked down on Naruto with sadness, knowing the kid had lost as much as Sasuke. He turned at Kakashi and gestured to take Naruto away.
Kakashi complied without saying a word, taking him in his arms; the ANBU glanced at the kid in his arms before he jumped away.
Hiruzen turned to look at his old friend and then walked over to him Danzo, who stood still, his eye narrowed at Hiruzen with a glare.
"We will talk about this in my office; perhaps you have gained too much liberty Danzo," Hiruzen spoke with a low, threatening voice that sent shivers down his spine; he almost flinched but didn't allow himself to show weakness or any emotions in front of his weapons.
Walking away, Danzo observed the dead compound with glee behind his eyes when one Weapon showed up to his right, kneeling in front of him.
"Danzo-sama, we counted the dead; the numbers don't match," He reported.
"What?!" Danzo turned fully at him with a higher tone, and his knuckles tightened around his cane; he wondered what could have happened when he felt the air around him turn dense and cold.
His eyes turned to look at his left, seeing Mangekyo Sharingan behind his Mask.
"I witness everything; if you dare as much as touch Naruto or Sasuke, I will leak valuable information to every enemy Village," Itachi promised as his body turned to crows.
"Damn You," Danzo cursed as his hands were more tightened than ever before.
Hokage Office
Every Clan head, every one of the civilian Council was called in this meeting; the sun still hadn't risen over the horizon, the darkness covering the hidden Leaf Village like a cold blanket.
Everyone was talking amongst each other, not knowing what this meeting was all about; Shikaku noted that the Elders of Konoha were extra quiet, Danzo was usually always silent, but the same usually didn't go for Homura and Koharu, who were just as silent as Danzo.
People asked what was happening, but they stood as silent as the grave.
Shikaku knew they knew something but didn't ask; his friend Inoichi seemed to have noticed his glance at the Elders.
Sadly some were discussing why they felt Kyuubi's chakra. Many apparently had woken up afraid that the Kyuubi had returned, but thankfully the intense chakra had disappeared as soon as it appeared.
The Hokage finally walked inside; his eyes looked tired, face pale like a ghost, done gasped at the condition of their Hokage.
Everyone stood up when he entered; Hiruzen gave almost everyone a look before sitting down, followed by everyone else.
"Now, you might be wondering why I have called such a sudden meeting so late," Hiruzen spoke as everyone had fallen silent to hear him.
"A treason has happened," Everyone grimaced at the mention of treason, everyone holding on to their breath, waiting for The Hokage to continue.
"Uchiha Itachi has killed every member of the Uchiha Clan except his little brother Uchiha Sasuke," Hiruzen finished, and everyone fell silent once again.
The air felt as cold as coldness night of Winter; one could cut the air with a knife.
Shikaku's eyes almost popped out from what he heard; he wondered why the kid had done it; he had seen him a couple of times, he didn't personally know him, but his eyes didn't look like that of someone who could do something like that.
Inoichi frowned and looked just as confused and surprised as his teammate, and he wondered what would the poor kid do now without his family.
Choza had stopped eating; his chips fell on the table; he wondered if the Kyuubi had anything to do with this; he had felt the sudden chakra spike of Kyuubi.
Even Hiashi's eyes widened at what he heard before they narrowed; he hoped Itachi had been captured and not let roam freely around the Village; the last thing he needed was him attacking Hyuga Clan.
Tsume fell silent at the information she was hearing, which was something new to her. Usually, she was the one who talked the most in the Council.
Finally understanding the weight of the situation, the whole Council went in an uproar.
"Hokage-Sama, how could this have happened, and Why would Itachi Uchiha do this?" Shikaku asked. First, his voice was still calm despite the situation.
Hiruzen closed his eyes for a moment before turning his sights at Shikaku.
The third explained what had happened and that Itachi had left the Village before they could capture him; he also ordered Itachi to be branded as S-Rank Missing nin in the Bingo Book.
After hearing the devastating news, many felt pity for the Uchiha kid who had been spared; thankfully, the whole talk about the Uchiha Clan had made many forget about the Kyuubi chakra that had been felt around the Village.
Leaving the Meeting, Hiruzen reached the top of the Hokage tower overlooking the whole Village; at this hour, streets and houses would be silent, a few lights here and there, but now the entire Village was awake, mourning for the Death of The Uchiha Clan.
As he kept looking at the Village, he heard a sound behind him, not needing to glance behind.
"The mission has been successful, Hokage-Sama," Itachi spoke, kneeling in front of the Hokage, his voice low and neutral.
"Itachi, you do understand now that you're a missing-nin, your brother will grow up hating you; where will you stay?" Hokage consoled.
"I have been given an invitation to join a group called Akatsuki; I can spy from within," Itachi answered with the same neutral tone, looking down at the ground.
"In that case," Hokage threw a scroll at Itachi, who grabbed it and gave the Hokage a confused look.
"If you happen to meet Jiraiya or Tsunade, just show them this scroll, and they will know not to attack you," Hiruzen spoke, knowing he could not do much else to help.
"Thank You, Hokage-Sama, please take care of Naruto and Sasuke in my stead," Itachi almost demanded before disappearing.
Later
Hokage stood in his office, waiting for the report; an ANBU suddenly appeared in front of him with a document in his hand.
"The List Hokage-Sama," The ANBU (Kakashi) spoke, giving the list of every dead Uchiha; his eyes glanced at the pictures of the past Hokage before turning back to look at the old one.
"Thank you, Dog," Hiruzen said and opened the documents; they showed detailed information of the wounds of every Uchiha, their names, and where they had been found dead.
Reading through the names, he reached Fugaku Uchiha, and his eyes widened.
"What's This? What do you mean, Fugaku's eyes were Missing," The old Hokage shouted in fury; the power resonated from his voice alone caused the desk in front of him to break along with the floor below his feet.
Kakashi grimaced from the power of his Kage. Hiruzen stood up, demanding an explanation right now, his face furious.
"Cat reported that he found his body inside his house, what was left of it, close to Mikoto Uchiha, shortly after Naruto was sent away to his apartment, but we found no sign of struggle, we believe whoever took his eyes did while he was dead. It must have been Itachi," Kakashi reported almost in haste, his mouth speaking fast.
The Hokage narrowed his eyes; he knew at the time Danzo was close; he wouldn't dare to do that while his ANBU were everywhere around the area; if he did try, he would have tried when his dead body was sent to the morgue.
Itachi would have never done that, and he cursed himself for not having this information when Itachi spoke to him to report the mission.
"You can leave," Hokage ordered; Kakashi said nothing but left, slowly making his way towards Naruto's apartment, knowing the kid needed someone at this moment.
Hiruzen ordered for Danzo to be brought here; the time has come for them to talk, a long conversation.
Naruto
"W-where am I? Am I dead?" whispered Naruto around the void hoping for someone to answer him. A part of him slightly hoped he was dead; he just wanted to hear a voice, a voice that would tell him anything. He believed himself to be dead, but was he truly?
Then a voice cut through the air like a knife through butter.
"You're Not Dead, Not Yet," Naruto turned to see Uchiha Madara slowly walking towards him. A thin light illuminated his armor and face, his Sharingan on his eyes.
"Why am I here?" Naruto asked no one in particular, his body sitting on the ground, his legs spread, and his hands grabbed his head as flashes of the massacre...
"No, Nonono," Naruto kept repeating as he remembered Shisui.
Take Care of Itachi
He remembered Mikoto-chan
You can call me Kaa-chan, Naruto-Kun
He finally remembered his nee-chan
You're my little brother Naruto, take care of yourself
Madara watched in silence as the first stage of Susanoo, a cage, grew around him, but he noticed something strange. The bones had chains tightened around them everywhere.
"Why? Why?" Naruto shouted, hitting the floor with all his strength, his voice echoing throughout the whole darkness around them.
Madara walked over the young Uchiha; despite being known to be ruthless and without emotions, Madara knew what it was like losing a brother.
"This is the World Young Uchiha, this is a world full of injustice, Wars, and Wars, they never stopped unless they're afraid to start it," Madara spoke from experience, knowing people of this world craved for War.
"Wake up to Reality; nothing goes as planned in this cursed world; the longer you live, the more you realize that the only things that truly exist in this Reality are merely Pain, suffering, and futility. In this world, people don't get what they wish most, and that is a fact... we are subjected to the whims of this Reality, that is filled with suffering and hatred, when there is light, the is also darkness, one cannot exist without the other, this world is full of Pain and futility those are the only things that exist in this Reality," uttered Madara. "There are only 'winners' and 'losers' in this world along with the selfish desires to create a lasting peace... but there can be no peace when the world is flooded by rage. The selfish desire for peace will only be temporary. War will rise, hatred is birthed from the protection of love, and more hatred will follow after it like vultures; everything I have said is nexuses, bound together by an unbreakable chain that keeps adding on to its links; the chain cannot be broken for we all wear it... there is no wear to break the chain... normally."
"What you say has some truth to it," muttered Naruto as he looked away from Madara.
"I hate this world, I loathe it with every cell in my body, this world is hell, and I have been condemned to live in it... only the powerful decide the fate and not the weak... without strength, you will become a slave to those who are. I have cheated death too many times to know that I am strong enough to decide my fate, but still, I'll be dead soon, for immortality doesn't truly exist. But even still, the strong can only do so much compared to the world's power; time is every man's enemy, for it devours all things. Nothing remains afterward; I despise this world with all my being, that's why I want to change it, change what has been fated for this world..." announced Madara.
Naruto fell silent, his Mangekyo Sharingan shining in his eyes; Madara didn't hide his surprised face; he had never seen a Mangekyo like this one, he wondered what power was hidden behind it.
"You told me this world is War, people will keep fighting because if one thing History taught us is that people will never learn, they will repeat their mistakes, the Time is a Wheel unless someone strong enough destroys the Wheel, someone that will people both Love and Fear."
"Reason why selfish and greedy people follow the rules, is because of Fear, but those that have no fear that break the rules will always exist, and the War will spark once again,"
"I will unite this World, and I will become the man they will love and fear, Love my Compassion and Fear my Wrath," Naruto finished.
Madara stood silent at his words, but people don't live forever; even if Naruto reached his goal, he would one day leave this world, who would make sure the wheel stood broken once he left this world like billions of people before him.
Madara decided to see where this road would lead the young Uchiha. After all, his work was to guide him.
Naruto saw Madara slowly disappearing in front of him, and the Legend looked at the young one dead in the eye, his lips twitched upwards slightly.
"Let's Hope what you seek will come true one day," Madara spoke, but Naruto heard he murmured something in the end, but he didn't hear him.
Disappearing, Naruto stood alone, almost waiting for the darkness to swallow him whole; suddenly, a light illuminated him, the darkness disappeared, a figure with long red hair walked towards him, a beaming smile on her face.
Naruto felt his breath stuck on his throat; the woman stood in front of him, suddenly the darkness was gone, trees growing around him, full of life.
"You're just like Minato-kun, my little Sunshine,"
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