When Tsunade announced the death of Uchiha Sasuke, the whole room was filled with silence.
All ninjas in the room knew that, eventually, Sasuke would be killed, but the news were still a shock. Especially for those who had graduated with him.
Shikamaru sighed deeply and watched Ino cry softly while Choji stroke her back. Not far behind them, Neji and Tenten stared solemnly at the Hokage with a resigned expression. As for Lee, he could only stare at the floor.
Shino remained impassive and Kiba glanced at Hinata who could not disguise the pain she felt for Naruto and the rest of Team 7.
Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and looked at her sorrowfully. Both knew that the death of Sasuke could not be avoided, nevertheless meant the end of the original Team 7. Never again would all be together, never would they complete more missions together ... The dream that they had tried to achieve for nearly four long years of hard work had died during the first hours of the morning of July 23. By the hand of Uzumaki Naruto.
The person who had endeavored so much to bring Sasuke back, who never stopped believing in him ended up being forced to be his executioner.
Sakura felt her eyes burn and throat tightened at the thought that Naruto would have to bear that burden for the rest of his life, and could not help but feel guilty. After all, she herself had been unable to kill the former teammate.
Sai and Yamato remained slightly apart from Sakura and Kakashi, knowing that nothing they say could comfort them. They needed time to mourn the death of Sasuke before they could continue with their lives.
After warning all these ninja, Tsunade dismissed them and returned to her new cabinet. When Shizune asked her if she needed anything she asked her to fetch some reports. When the assistant left, Tsunade took the letter she received from Naruto and burned it. Then she invoked the frog that had brought her the letter and gave him the letter she had written in secret.
Thousands of miles from Konoha, Naruto had just read the letter that Tsunade had sent him. After burning it, he sighed with relief. Everything had gone as planned.
He knew that right now, the name of Sasuke Uchiha was being erased from the Bingo Books around the world. The villages would cancel the orders of his capture and assassination and, over the years, they would forget him and the crimes he had committed.
Naruto felt guilty as he remembered his team and all the friends he had left in Konoha. He sincerely was hoping that Sakura was not crying. He knew she was stronger than she looked and would eventually move on, as she did when Sasuke betrayed Konoha when they were children.
Naruto knew he would not be able to return to Konoha so early or even have contact with the companions he had left. After all, he had lied to them.
Beside him, lying on the sheets of an old futon of the small room of the inn he was staying, Sasuke was fast asleep.
Several months earlier
Uzumaki Naruto woke up from his nap due to a mighty bang on the wall of his apartment. The building next to his was still being rebuilt after Pain's attack and the constant noise irritated Naruto to no end. All he wanted was a nap!
Cursing to himself, the blond slowly got from his bed and went to the balcony. The sun was about to go down and the sky was changing into a bluish pink color. The streets of Konoha were still filled of people: men having cold drinks, women shopping and chattering and children playing. Naruto couldn't help to smile at a group of little boys who talked excitingly about how they were going to be ninjas.
"I'm going to be super strong!" yelled one of them. "Just like the Sannin! Everybody is going to know my name!"
"Baka! You're not even in the academy yet!"
"I'm going to do it! You'll see!"
"My Nii-san said that I'm very good at throwing shurikens" said one of them, glowing with pride. "I'm going to be great shinobi just like him and Otou-san."
Another kid jumped in front of his friends and spread his arms.
"I want to be a great ninja hero" he said "Just like Naruto-sama!"
The other boys started laughing claiming that there was no way he could be that strong.
"Naruto-sama saved the WORLD! My Tou-san said he is the most powerful ninja in the world! There is no way you can be like him"
"Nuh-huh!"
"Naruto-sama is going to be next Hokage! So stop saying stupid things!"
Naruto laughed a bit as the kids disappeared behind a corner. Konoha was still being rebuilt after Pain's attack but, fortunately, the village didn't suffer any heavy damages during the Fourth Ninja War. He had managed to keep it safe.
Madara was dead. Akatsuki was disbanded. Kabuto disappeared…
Sasuke…
Naruto's eyes became empty, remembering his former comrade. He came back to his room, sat at the edge of his bed and picked up his favorite photo. Unlike reality, pictures don't change regardless of the passage of time.
"Sasuke… I really wished I could've saved you…"
His fight against Sasuke was the most difficult and intense battle that he had ever had. When Naruto claimed victory, Sasuke was lying down on the floor baffled, unable to believe that he had been defeated by the Dobe he always loathed.
Naruto had reached out his hand to Sasuke, filled with hope that he had saved him from his hatred, his darkness… By acknowledging his strength he was sure Sasuke would realize Naruto's friendship. Instead, Sasuke glared at him, his eyes filled with murderous rage and shame before disappearing into the woods.
And Naruto… had let him go.
As an international criminal, Sasuke was searched for months by every single village in the world. Their orders were to kill on sight, but Sasuke was never found, it was like he had vanished from the face of the Earth. Until two months ago…
"Guren-san! Let's go eat something!" yelled a familiar child's voice from outside.
"Calm down… We'll eat in a second."
Recognizing the voices, Naruto left his house and ran into the packed street. Walking not too far from him, he saw them.
"Guren! Yukimaru!" cried the blond ninja, running towards them.
Guren looked surprised before giving Naruto a wide grim, Yukimaru merely smiled happily.
"Well, well… long time no see" said the proud woman, while holding Yukimaru's hand gently at the same time.
"Naruto-san!" exclaimed Yukimaru.
"It's nice to see you at last!" declared Naruto remembering the last time he had seen Guren: falling into a lake surrounded by her own crystal. "You guys really scared me."
"I'm sorry Naruto-san… We didn't mean to scare you…" Yukimaru looked truly upset.
"Bah! It's okay! I'm just glad you're fine!"
Guren smirk grew even more. "Still the same idiot!"
"So what brings you guys here? Are you sightseeing?" asked Naruto, curious. Guren and Yukimaru looked at each other, frowning.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.
"We… We came to Konoha to deliver some information" explained Guren. "We just came back from your Hokage's office."
Naruto blinked.
"Information? About what?"
Guren sighed loudly.
"About Uchiha Sasuke …"
Naruto felt his heart beat faster and his mouth became dry.
"How many did he… kill this time?" he asked.
Guren looked Naruto in the eyes and paused. How could she tell him this?
"About 300 villagers and a few ninjas… "
Naruto felt his eyes burning. 300? It was even more than the last time!
"We were passing by when we saw the survivors trying to flee from the village. I told Gozu to look after Yukimaru and I went there. The Uchiha… he was… laughing around the corpses, screaming your name."
Naruto gulped. "Not again…"
"He also appeared to be talking to his brother and parents like they were there cheering him on… Then… he dismembered a child… I hope she was already dead…"
Naruto couldn't hear it anymore; he didn't want to hear more. But he had to, he had to know Sasuke's atrocities because… Sasuke was killing because of him.
"I am so sorry Naruto."
It wasn't hard to notice that Sasuke was responsible for the obliteration of the villages. He was recreating the Uchiha Clan Massacre in each one, and taking great pleasure with it. Most wounds had been done by the Chidori; Kakashi had made the observations himself. The jutsu he had created to protect loved ones, was now being used to destroy them. Naruto knew his sensei felt guilty for teaching Sasuke the jutsu he used to end so many people's lives.
"But not as guilty as I am."
Sasuke was trying to draw him into battle. The accounts of survivors of the twelve villages that he had wiped out were essentially all the same: a red-eyed boy had entered the village and declared that he would reduce it to dust. When villagers tried to attack, he killed them before engaging with all others. Men and women, young and old, nothing stopped the Uchiha, all who crossed his path got killed by being stabbed by his Chidori, burned alive or crushed by a black monster that engulfed him like a protective demon, Susanoo.
And Sasuke would just laugh. The boy that Naruto thought and admired like an older brother, for whom he would willingly give his own life, had become a monster. Sasuke screamed for Naruto while killing, declaring that he was the strongest, that Naruto was a coward, a weakling who had managed to win out just by a matter of luck.
"You see Naruto?" he shouted with a devilish smile disfiguring his once attractive face. "You were never stronger! Never! Come fight me and I'll show you! COME AND FIGHT ME, MOTHERFUCKER!"
Naruto had wanted to intervene but Tsunade would not let him, it was too dangerous and would be giving Sasuke exactly what he wanted: attention and sense of power over him. Other ninjas had intervened, not only from Konoha but from all villages known. The death toll rose, insanity gave strength to the last Uchiha alive.
Naruto couldn't take it anymore. After saying goodbye to Guren and Yukimaru, went directly to the new office of the Hokage. The building was very similar to the previous one and still smelled of fresh paint, but Naruto was so fixed that he didn't even noticed it's new look or the curious stares of the ninjas who he crossed paths with. At the Hokage's door, he opened it with a bang.
Tsunade and Shizune were in the office, both surrounded by mountains of documents that threatened to fall upon them like an avalanche of white papers. Seeing the young blond, Tsunade frowned angrily.
"Naruto! What is the meaning of this?" she shouted intensely, while Shizune flinched.
"Baa-chan... I can't sit back any longer! I'm going to find Sasuke, even if it is without your permission!"
Tsunade leaned back in her chair and huffed irritably. She had a feeling that Naruto would show up today.
"We've had this conversation, Naruto" she said, trying to keep herself calm. "Am I just supposed to let you go and fight him?"
"I'm the only one who can defeat Sasuke!" Naruto replied. "You said it yourself."
"But you want to defeat him alone! Can you imagine the stupidity of what that means? "
"Sending more ninjas against him will only result in more dead... Sasuke... Sasuke is my responsibility; I want to deal with him alone."
Tsunade rested her elbows on the table and looked Naruto in the eye. The boy had grown, there was no doubt about that, nevertheless Naruto was still a boy, and boys make mistakes.
"Are you able to kill him, Naruto? Would you accept the mission to eliminate Sasuke Uchiha? "
Naruto gulped. The question hit him like a slap. Could he kill Sasuke?
During the war he had been as close to die as to kill his best friend, and he knew he would be able to get both. But going after Sasuke now would not be a mission to convince him to return home… he had no home, too many crimes had been committed. The whole world wanted to see him burn ... and he would not stop until the whole world burned.
Naruto imagined his original dream, Team 7 gathered laughing together, preparing for a new mission. Kakashi-sensei with his pornographic book in hand, Sakura-chan among them smiling, Naruto always trying to draw attention to him while Sasuke called him Usuratonkachi. They should all be Chuunins by this now; Sasuke would probably be a Jonin. They would have the longest record of successful missions, Sasuke would eventually rebuild his clan, Sakura would become the best medical ninja on Earth and Naruto would be named Hokage.
That was how things should have happened...
Remembering the old team, Naruto finally realized the harsh reality. He had been so stupid, so naive. Itachi was right; he was just a child full of impossible dreams.
"The Sasuke I knew will never come back... the hatred of the Uchiha consumed him completely."
"So… Naruto?"
Naruto glanced up and stared at the Hokage with a dejected determination.
"Yes Baa-chan. I accept. "
It was nearly five o'clock when Naruto woke up from a restless sleep filled with nightmares. Unhappy, he sighed, got dressed and had breakfast although the food insisted on getting stuck in his throat.
His humble baggage consisted of a backpack with a few changes of clothes, some food, a blanket, several scrolls, and some weapons.
After finishing breakfast, Naruto grabbed the backpack that was lying on the bed and began to head towards the door… it was then that he noticed the picture of his team. The young blond caught in the frame and stared at the photograph.
The elderly photographer had just finished preparing the camera and stared at the young genins impatiently. Kakashi-sensei had to calm the two boys if he wanted the picture taken today.
"Okay, then! Let's take a picture so settle down" Kakashi said to his new, and very bad-tempered, students.
"Why do I have to take a picture next to him?" Naruto muttered, pointing angrily at Sasuke.
"That's my line, usuratonkachi." Sasuke replied grumpily.
"C'mon… this is a regulation" Kakashi said, trying to calm them down enough.
"But I'm happy to be able to take a picture with Sasuke-kun" Sakura turned to Sasuke, smiling with all her might.
Naruto smiled immediately.
"Me… Me too! I'm very happy to take a picture with Sakura-chan!" the blond said.
Sakura's smile vanished.
"Sensei…" she said. "Leave Naruto out."
"AH! No…" Naruto cried, horrified by the idea.
Sasuke chuckled, so Naruto turned to him again.
"Don't laugh!" the aggravated blond shouted.
"What?" Sasuke answered back, frowning.
Kakashi sighed. He prayed to all gods that the team would improve, or else he would need an earlier retirement. They were supposed to be ninjas, not a bunch of spoiled brats.
As the photographer prepared to take the photo, Kakashi grabbed the heads of two boys and forced them to keep quiet.
"Stop it, you two" the sensei said, turning their head towards the camera. "You're troubling the photographer, can't you see? Hei! This going to stand for remembrance, so smile!"
Sakura stood in their midst, smiling radiantly for the camera, while the two boys glared at each other.
"Smile, please!"
And the photographer took the picture.
Naruto smiled at the memory and looked at the clock. It was five-thirty in the morning.
He opened the drawer of the dresser and put the photo inside, downwards.
On reaching the gate of the village, Naruto was prepared for the possibility of finding someone he knew who had found out about his mission. Tsunade had given him her word that she would let him go alone and not let know anyone about his whereabouts or on his mission until its conclusion. No one would interfere.
When passing through the gate he made sure that was not being followed and threw himself in the trees. He didn´t want to tell his friends for various reasons that he knew to be a little selfish on his part: if they knew, they would want to go with him and help him. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate their aid or thought he was superior to them, quite the contrary. Naruto didn't want to risk seeing any of them killed by Sasuke; he could never live with the guilt. If someone had to die that would be him.
"Forgive me, Sakura-chan" he thought bitterly. "Forgive me for being one to end our dream to have our team back."
Feeling his eyes burning, Naruto cursed himself and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. "Stop being such a baby! Tears do not solve anything! "
Thanks to his high stamina, Naruto didn't need two weeks to reach the Land of Mountains, a very populated small country, north of the Land of Fire. He forced himself to eat and sleep because he knew he needed to, but whenever he saw a devastated village or a grief-stricken survivor in one of the many villages that constituted the country he would travel without breaks before collapsing with exhaustion.
According to Tsunade's reports, Sasuke attacked the villages from dusk until dawn, and always on nights of full moon. He was trying to recreate the massacre of the clan with him in control of the situation. Naruto had stopped wanting to understand how Sasuke's mind worked, but he knew that his heart demanded that others suffer as he suffered. In addition, Sasuke knew that sooner or later, Naruto would get involved.
"He thinks of me as stupid and predictable."
During a brief stop at an inn, Naruto heard rumors of a young ninja who was heading west, towards the highest mountains in the country. People were worried, what if it was the criminal who was attacking the villages?
Naruto stared at a calendar hanging in a souvenir shop and felt his throat tighten up. It was July 22 and a night of full moon.
Sasuke Uchiha's birthday eve.
Forgetting to eat breakfast, Naruto rushed to jump into the trees.
It was already night when he saw the smoke rising up in the dark sky. Naruto's feet felt sore but he struggled to walk even faster, the soldier pills had finished hours ago and he cursed himself for not bringing more.
It was too late to save the village; none of the small houses had survived the Katon. Naruto felt his stomach turn when he detected the smell of burning flesh. Upon entering the village, he had to protect his face with his arms, the heat was too strong to breathe but he had to make sure the villagers had survived.
"Is anyone here?" he shouted as loud as he could.
Feeling something under his feet, Naruto almost jumped. The corpse of a young girl was right in front of him, she had been dissected. Naruto had stepped on what was left of her intestines.
"Sasuke ... No ... No ... No ..."
Before Naruto could react he heard a desperate cry amid the deafening noise of burning wood. Following the screams (and ignoring the corpses) Naruto arrived to what was left of a mansion which should have belonged to the village leader. A woman was kneeling on the floor clutching a boy who appeared to have no more than five years old. They were both covered in soot and blood which Naruto guessed belonged to bodies that were right in front of them: a man and an older boy.
It was then that he saw him. Uchiha Sasuke was in front of the burning mansion, his chokuto pointed towards the woman.
He was much slimmer than Naruto remembered, his hair was dirty and scruffy, his clothes filthy with grime and blood. But the worst was his face, his Sharingan was activated and he wore a huge smile of satisfaction on his face, like a demon out of hell.
"Please ... Have mercy ..." sobbed the woman at his feet, grabbing the terrified child. "Please..."
"Mercy? Why should I spare you? I killed all the others, why should I let you live? "Sasuke asked, looking at the woman as if she was trash.
"My son... please spare my son ... you can kill me ... but ... not Kosuke. I'll do anything. Please! I have already lost my husband and my oldest son..."
Sasuke's gaze didn't reveal anything other than disdain for that woman and her son who sobbed clutching her skirt. His smile faded and his habitual expression of indifference returned.
"You do not deserve my attention" he said coldly. "Get out of my sight before I regret it!"
Trembling, the woman picked her son up and ran down the street. When she was about to reach the corner, Sasuke activated his Chidori and threw himself against her back. Naruto grabbed his wrist at the last instant and the woman, surprised, almost fell to the ground.
"Run!" Naruto shouted. "Run away while you can!"
Without needing any encouragement, she got up and disappeared amid the smoke.
Naruto let go of Sasuke's wrist and moved away from the kunai that almost hit him. Sasuke had used his other hand to attack. With a safe distance, Naruto finally looked his best friend in the eye.
"So you finally came ... I wondered how long it was going to take for you to show up" Sasuke said with a sneer stamped on his lips. Naruto remained silent, there was nothing more to say.
Sasuke didn't like the reaction.
"Aren't you going to say anything, Naruto? We finally met after months and you have nothing to tell me? No screams? Not gonna ask me why I killed all these people? Not going to convince me to go back to your precious village so we can be a big happy fucking team? "
Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering.
"There's nothing more I can say to you, Sasuke. I know that now... "
"Are you playing wise, Naruto? Who do you think you're fooling? You think you're so special for having beaten me, don't you? You're not worth shit! If it wasn't for the Kyuubi, you would only be a second-class ninja! "
Naruto remained silent. Kakashi-sensei had told him that Sasuke had a superiority and an inferiority complex, so he believed himself as superior to all others but crumbled completely when he was defeated. He despised those who were weaker than him and hated those who were stronger, obsessively thinking in new ways to kill them and be able to convince himself that he was the strongest once more.
Naruto's silence made the Uchiha's little patience ran out completely. Sasuke jumped into the fight with Taijutsu followed by several Chidori. Naruto wasted no time and entered into Sage Mode, using the energy that one of its clones stored outside the village.
The battle was intense and both eventually moved slightly away from the village. Sasuke had already invoked the Susanoo but Naruto would not use the power of the Kyuubi. He had had luck and wasn't hit by any Amaterasu, but he knew that luck was running out.
His suspicions were confirmed when he made the mistake of staring at Sasuke in the eyes. His Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan was ready for his next attack.
"Tsukuyomi!
Then it happened.
Naruto knew almost instantly that something had gone wrong with the genjutsu. Instead of finding an environment of torture, Sasuke and he were surrounded by thousands of black feathers. But the strange thing was that the feathers were coming out from his own body!
Sasuke looked at him, his eyes wide open.
"What are you doing, Naruto?"
"I ... I don't know...!"
The feathers changed direction and enveloped Sasuke completely, swirling around him like a tornado. Sasuke tried to use Susanoo to escape, but as soon as it touched the feathers the creature let out an animalistic cry and disappeared entirely.
"No! Fuck! No! What are you doing, Naruto? Son of a bitch! What the fuck is this technique? I cannot activate the Susanoo! "
Naruto was as amazed as Sasuke.
"I'm not doing anything!"
"Liar!"
Before Naruto could counter-argue, the black feathers stopped leaving his body. Those which hadn't whirled around Sasuke began to merge together resulting in a black form.
Naruto and Sasuke's eyes were wide with astonishment. The black feathers had formed a human figure they thought would never see again: Itachi Uchiha.
"Nii-san?" Sasuke shouted in disbelief.
Naruto couldn't help thinking that it was a genjutsu. Itachi was dead! It wasn't possible! The last time they had seen each other was when Kabuto ressurrected him with Edo Tensei.
Could it be Sasuke's genjutsu? If it was… why did he seem so surprised about it? In what way could Itachi be torture to Naruto?
"It's been a while, Naruto-kun ..." Itachi said softly.
"Itachi? You... you died! Is this a genjutsu? "Naruto asked.
"It's not a genjutsu" he explained calmly, without looking at his younger brother. "Although you could say it was thanks to Sasuke's genjutsu that I am here."
"What do you mean?"
"Itachi! Stop talking to him! "Sasuke muttered. Itachi ignored him.
"You remember our last meeting?"
Naruto noticed at last. It was all a result of the raven that he had swallowed that day... this was the "power" that Itachi had given him.
"For this power to manifest; Sasuke had to use Tsukuyomi against you, using my eyes. These were the necessary conditions."
"You mean like that crow with your friend's eye?" Naruto asked.
Itachi nodded.
"Yes. You're determined to save Sasuke, so I placed a second power within you just in case."
"Nii-san!" Sasuke shouted behind them. "Nii-san! Let's kill him together, Nii-san! When he dies, we can destroy Konoha! They will never laugh again, we will kill them together and cleanse the name of the Uchiha! Tou-san will be so proud of me, he will finally look at me! "
Itachi stared at his brother filled with sadness.
"I never wanted things to end this way, Naruto-kun" he explained. "All I wanted was for Sasuke to return to the village as a hero ... he was the only one of our clan that hadn't been corrupted by greed, so I placed all my hopes on him."
Naruto didn't know what to say. Itachi was being honest, he knew it.
"Our father was so obsessed with power that forced me to betray the village. While he ensured that I remained strong and faithful to the clan, Sasuke was ignored almost completely. It didn't matter that Sasuke was the best of his class at the Academy, or if he needed a family member to accompany him ... our father didn't see him. He was too obsessed with making the clan the new leaders of Konoha. "
"Stop talking to him! They always put us aside, "yelled Sasuke, ignoring what his brother had said except for what he wanted to hear. "They've always despised the Uchiha! We are stronger, smarter and more gifted than anyone in that stupid village. But they will pay, right Nii-san? They will wish they had never messed with the Uchiha!"
The black feathers began to spin faster. A beam of white light came out of the tornado and grabbed Sasuke's arm. After that it grabbed his leg. Within seconds, Sasuke was completely immobilized by ropes of light.
"Naruto-kun ... I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. I hope someday you will be able to forgive me. From tonight on... you won't have to fight against Sasuke anymore. "
Sasuke tried in vain to free himself from the ropes.
"Nii-san! What's happening? "He shouted, starting to feel frightened by that bizarre situation. His mind, twisted by madness, noted vaguely that Itachi not only was ignoring him but also could have something to do with black feathers.
A white light surrounded Naruto and he became aware of small blue orbs getting out of his body towards Sasuke. He began to feel dizzy and very, very tired.
Before losing consciousness Naruto still managed to look at Itachi, who was smiling at him with his usual gentleness.
"Please... take care of my little brother."
Naruto fainted.
Sasuke continued to attempt to free himself from the ropes, but these seemed to cling to him with even more force. Several blue orbs that his Sharingan identified as chakra, surrounded the tornado's feather. Sasuke felt an electric shock run from head to toe, and suddenly, his head felt much lighter.
Itachi approached his brother and looked deep into his eyes. At first, Sasuke's lips were compressed with fury, staring with a withering gaze, but this was gradually fading, giving way to a confused and exhausted expression.
Sasuke felt very angry, sad, betrayed ... but ... he just couldn't remember why. His brother kept looking at him impassively. Why didn't he help him?
"Nii-san... What...?"
"Shhhh... Calm down Sasuke "he replied."It'll be alright."
Sasuke knew he shouldn't be detained, but he couldn't remember how he had got there. Had there been a fight? He didn't remember having struggled. His brother was there with him so he was safe, right? There was someone else there... or had he imagine it? Sasuke felt so confused. Itachi had died ... no ... he was alive, he had been a spy for Konoha and with Madara, killed all the clan members ... Itachi had killed the clan ... Sasuke had to kill and avenge them all ... that's why he had ... joined the Akatsuki? No ... had joined Orochimaru and left Konoha ... to get stronger ... Naruto had come after him to stop him ... Itachi was after Naruto in Konoha and he went out to them ... Gaara had escaped from the Chuunin Exam and he had to defeat him, but Naruto and Sakura were here too... Kakashi taught him the Chidori but he could only use it 3 times a day ... the cursed seal gave him power, but it was very difficult to control… the snake man bit him in the neck ... the whole team was going to die, the snake man was too powerful ... he was going to participate in the Chuunin exams, but had no major concerns, the only opponents was worried about were Gaara and Rock Lee ... He had survived the needles of the masked boy ... Naruto would eventually die if he did not act faster ... the man against whom Kakashi fought was very strong ... Zabuza... Naruto almost died on the way to their first mission outside the village, what an idiot ... why did he have to belong to a team of idiots? Goddamn team ... an idiot and an annoying girl...he didn't need a team! He worked better alone ... he really had to graduate that year, he couldn't waste time... when he would graduate? Could he really do it?
Itachi's eyes peered Sasuke as his life turned backwards. As years disappeared from the body of his brother and his mind became barer. Sasuke forgot Madara and Akatsuki, the truth about the Uchiha; he forgot the fight against Itachi and all the techniques he had learned from Orochimaru. Finally, he forgot that he had betrayed Konoha...
Sasuke's eyes, which hitherto remained with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan activated, changed into a matured three tomoe Sharingan, then two, one ... until his eyes turned black as coal. Sasuke had forgotten how to activate the Sharingan.
His arms and legs were becoming increasingly smaller, his bones contracted, the muscles that he had gained after weeks of training faded, becoming smaller and weaker until they were swallowed by his white shirt and pants which threatened to drop to the ground along with the rope that he used as a belt. His face was becoming less defined, giving rise to the appearance of a child. The vocal cords shrunk, making his deep mature voice become higher. The hairiness he acquired during puberty regressed and disappeared, leaving only light fuzz. His permanent teeth came back into the gums: first the molars, then canines and finally the incisors. Baby teeth returned but eventually also returned to their place above the adult dentition.
Sasuke's pants fell on the floor and his shirt barely clung to his increasingly smaller body. His hair grew back into his skull leaving only a bit of thin raven hair on the top of his head. His legs' muscles became weaker and he collapsed backwards into a sitting position. Baby fat continued to appear on his thighs, upper arms and neck. Sasuke finally became unable to sit and fell on his back with his now giant shirt covering him. His arms and legs lost their coordination as his muscles lost strenght and control, his movements becoming large and jerky.
Sasuke forgot all ninja techniques that he ever learned; he forgot what "ninja" meant. He didn't know his address, how to do mathematical calculations, how to read or write, how to draw, how to distinguish the passage of time, how to distinguish people and objects, how to dress... Forgot the name of his brother and parents, forgot the name of things... they were objects with colors, colors without names... forgot his own name... he forgot all words...
His body forgot how to feed himself. He forgot how to breathe as his lungs became deflated and filled with amniotic fluid...
Finally… darkness. He didn't know anything.
Naruto woke up with a big headache. Still stunned, he asked himself what kind of bed he had fallen asleep. He had twisted his neck and his back ached.
Rising, a sharp pain in the back of his head made him groan and take his hand to his wound.
"Did I hit my head?" he asked before realizing that he had slept on weeds outside. "What the hell?"
The sun was rising behind the mountains. Its rays illuminated the small clearing where Naruto was, making him puckered brow to get used to the light. He could hear the waters of the stream nearby and smelled the dew wet grass.
He also felt the unmistakable smell of burnt wood.
Village... houses burned... Sasuke...
Finally recalling, what had happened the night before, Naruto stood up with a jump and looked around. The clearing was deserted and there were no signs of Itachi or Sasuke. The feathers which came out of his body had also disappeared.
"Was I dreaming?" he thought. "No… it wasn't a dream. ... But then, where is Sasuke? "
Had Itachi killed his brother? If so, where was the body? What happened last night?
He then noticed a small circle of scorched grass a few feet from where he was. Sasuke's sword, still wet with dew and stained with blood, shone beside it.
Naruto moved towards the circle. The memory of the black feathered tornado came back to him like a flash; whatever had happened to Sasuke it had been there. As he got closer, Naruto felt his heart beating faster, he felt out of breath. Then he saw the clothes...
They were Sasuke's clothes, he had no doubt. The white shirt was stained with blood, soil and filth, his purple pants right above it. One of the sandals was bare by the pants, while the other was concealed under them. The owner of the garment in question couldn't be seen anywhere.
Naruto kept walking, his head full of unanswered questions. Where was Sasuke? What had Itachi done? Would he have made Sasuke disappear? He was not aware of any technique that was capable of erasing a person without leaving any trace ... But Itachi was known to be a genius; he might have created a technique. The Sharingan was capable of everything...
Sasuke's clothes were right in front of him. For a moment, Naruto laughed at the thought of a furious Sasuke walking around naked, demanding his clothes back. The idea that Sasuke had died hit him with the strength of a kunai in his chest. The laughter turned to sobs and Naruto fell to his knees in front of the clothes that had belonged to his best friend. Tears were soon running down his cheeks, falling to the already wet ground. The sobs became screams of hurt.
The blond ninja's eyes were so swollen that he didn't even notice the tiny movement under Sasuke's shirt. Something small was trying to get rid of dirty cloth. Naruto suppressed a sob when he heard a muffled whimper right before him.
Blinking in confusion, Naruto looked around looking the one making the noise. A few seconds later, he heard a cry. Following the sounds, realized that the cry came from Sasuke's shirt. He finally noticed the movements underneath the tissue . With his hand trembling, Naruto grabbed the shirt and moved it slightly.
His blue eyes opened with surprise and disbelief. Lying in the middle of the shirt, screaming with all his strenght, was a newborn baby boy. His purple skin was covered with some kind of transparent slime and blood; his eyes were closed tightly and filled with tears, his tiny arms and legs waving in the air helplessly.
A child had been born into the world.