Arc 1 - Awakening - Part 1

Note: '#' shall be used to signal the start of a new chapter

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Surrounded by emptiness, Madara's soul drifted across an unknown realm.

Without a tangible body, his formless conscience re-lived his entire life, taking on the role of the observer. Through this experience, that lasted for an unknown amount of time, he was finally allowed to reflect.

Seeing himself commit countless sins in the name of a fake goal, Madara finally started to understand Hashirama's words.

After dying next to his sworn comrade for the second time, Madara finally understood. The fog in his mind cleared up, and he could now see with clarity.

One more time, he closed his tired eyes.

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It was a splendid day. The eve of spring allowed wildflowers to grow all over Konoha's surroundings.

The winter cold was now banished and finally, the sun's rays etched themselves into the soil rather than being halted by clouds.

A warm, spring breeze refreshed the village's inhabitants, carrying a hint of the pleasant smell of the trees and flowers. The sun shone brightly and cool, mountainous winds caused small plants to dance along… It seemed that the mountains sang a song and the trees danced to its melody.

Konoha's cherry blossoms bloomed... as their meaningful, rosy hue marked the start of a brand new beginning.

Inside a small cabin, located around the outskirts of the Uchiha complex, a youth was lying atop a simple bed. He had flawless skin, which was like a sheet of well-done cloth… His eyelashes, which were under his dark, silky hair, fluttered in discomfort.

He had a high-bridged nose that rested among his two eyes, and his soft, but sharp lips were alluring, to say the least.

Next to him, an even smaller boy with similar looks was sitting on his knees, tears flowing like cascades out of his eyes. Grabbing hold of the attractive youth's hand, he tightly gripped it, refusing to let go.

"Aniki… Wake up... Please, don't leave me!"

Suddenly, as the small boy cried his heart out, the handsome youth opened his eyes.

Brusquely raising his upper body, he looked around in confusion.

"What…? Where am I… Wasn't I dead?"

"Aniki!"

Before he could find the answer to his question, the smaller boy pounced on him and tightly squeezed his abdomen, causing him grave pain.

Holding it in, he fiercely gritted his teeth and looked down at the culprit.

The kid was fair-skinned, with spiky, black hair that was tied in a ponytail. His bangs parted down the center of his face to frame both sides of it, and he wore the traditional, high-collared blue shirt of the Uchiha.

'That crest… could it be…?'

Interrupting Madara's thoughts, the boy raised his head and they made eye-contact. Seeing his face, Madara gasped in shock, his mind filled with disbelief.

"I- Izuna…?"

All sorts of thoughts were running through Madara's brain as he tried to make sense of the situation. The boy looked exactly like his long-lost younger brother…

"Izuna? Who's that... I'm your younger brother, Aito! Don't you remember me?"

Seeing the youth's perplexed attitude, Madara rubbed his forehead, unable to comprehend the situation. This kid looked similar to Izuna, if not exactly like him!

"What's going on… Where am I?"

"Oh no… Aniki... Did you lose your memory?!"

"I… I don't know…"

Touching his face, Madara noticed something was amiss. Getting a bad feeling, he abruptly rose from the bed and searched for a mirror, quickly finding one in the corner of the small room.

"Heavens…!"

#

"Who… Am I?"

Filled with utter disbelief, Madara stared at the mirror in front of him. His face was completely different from what it used to be.

His long mane had disappeared, replaced by much shorter hair. Grasping at the empty air around his neck, Madara remained at a loss.

"Aniki... Don't scare me! What happened to you?"

Turning around to face the boy, Madara took a large breath. Exhaling, he managed to calm down and decided to approach the situation with a cooler head. If he wanted answers, he'd have to think calmly.

'He's probably around ten... It shouldn't be too hard to trick him…"

Although Aito looked exactly like his deceased brother, Madara quickly dismissed the idea. He sat on the bed, facing him.

"Aito… I seem to have lost my memory. Maybe, if you can answer some of my questions, it might help me remember."

"...!"

Hearing Madara's words, Aito regained hope as he dried off his tears and sat upright.

"Ask away!"

"Right… Let's start with a simple question… Who am I?"

Without hesitation, Aito smiled and answered the question with vigor.

"Your name is Jun[1], and you're fourteen-years-old. You are a member of Konoha's Uchiha clan, and currently a student at the ninja academy!"

"What?!"

Although Madara tried to keep his composure, it was becoming increasingly hard. If Aito wasn't lying, he had actually been reincarnated.

'How could this be… Was it the Rikudō's doing?'

Deciding that it wasn't the moment to think about it, he continued to question the kid.

"How many years has it been since Konoha was established?"

This time, Aito visibly struggled. Madara's question was too much for an eleven-year-old kid. Noticing this, Madara decided to change his question.

"Can you tell me all of the Hokage we've had so far… In order? Also, tell me the age of the current one, if possible."

"That's easy! So… We've had, the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Then, the second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Finally, we currently serve the third, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He's forty, almost forty-one… I think."

With his intellect, Madara was quick to connect the dots. If his calculations were correct, it was almost two years before the coming of the second great ninja war.

'I remember now… At this time, I was still searching for the perfect pawn, in order to achieve my plans...'

Reminiscing for a bit, Madara decided he had heard enough... The rest would naturally follow. Getting the young boy's attention, he smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, I think my memory's coming back… Aito, I need you to promise me something."

"Yes?"

"You can't speak a word of what happened to anyone... Just act as if though I'm still the same, and hopefully, everything will go back to normal. Do you understand?"

He couldn't risk people learning about this. It would be best if fewer people knew about his memory loss.

"Sure! That's ok!"

Happy with Aito's answer, Madara fell back on the bed and stared at the roof. Ignoring Aito's presence, he started thinking about the situation.

If he had been reincarnated, he wouldn't waste this chance. Unlike his previous self, he would right his wrongs and turn over a new leaf.

Interrupting his thoughts, Aito spoke up once again.

"By the way, Aniki, we should go see big-sis Akane... You need to heal those wounds before the academy graduation exam!"

"Wounds?"

Furrowing his brows, Madara got back up and walked towards the mirror one more time. This time, he removed his high-collar shirt and stared at his bare upper body.

Bruises. That's all he could see.

Bruises filled every corner underneath his shirt, almost making it look like his skin-color was purple.

"This..."

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[1] Jun means "pure", a direct contrast to Madara, who is widely thought to mean "Tainted" or "Impure". Small wordplay, implying that he's been 'purified' through reincarnation.

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#

No wonder he felt extreme pain when Aito hugged him. These injuries were done with tremendous acrimony.

Madara couldn't help but feel that the person who did this really didn't like the previous owner of his body, Uchiha Jun. Surprised, but not resentful, Madara decided to learn more about the situation.

"How did this happen?"

"Ah… I forgot that you lost your memories… Well, it was Ren's gang who did this to you. He's the son of the clan-head and a genius of his generation. You and him… Don't get along well."

"We don't get along well…? Could you elaborate?"

If he was reincarnated, it would definitely be useful to know about any grudges he had. Especially with the son of the Uchiha clan-head, of all people.

Sighing, Aito put on a pained expression.

"Jealousy. Ren is known for having a huge crush on big-sis Akane and will beat down anyone who gets too close with her. The problem... Is that she's your childhood friend."

It seemed like this 'Ren' was of the feisty kind. As a favor to Jun, who previously owned this body, Madara decided to teach the kid a lesson.

"How strong is he?"

"Ren? He's a Genin. Last year, he graduated at the top of his class and has been on duty ever since. He's a real ninja."

A Genin picking on an academy student? Madara's image of Ren grew worse by the second, writing him off as a despicable individual. He hated these kinds of people, who preyed on the weak…

Madara was a battle-maniac. He despised weak opponents and respected strong ones. This 'Ren' was going against all of his principles.

"Alright, take me to this Akane."

"Sure! This way!"

Together, they ventured deeper into the clan's complex. Soon, they started seeing clansmen, and Madara noticed that they gave him dismissive looks... Interested, he decided to ask about it.

"Oh, that? Well… I don't know how you'll take it… Aniki... I just want you to know that for me, you're the best!"

"Don't worry about me, just talk."

"Aniki, you're known around the village as... Useless Junk[1]. Although you're an Uchiha, your talent is below average and you've struggled to graduate the academy, taking twice as long as most people in our clan."

"What?"

Holding his chin as they walked, Madara looked up at the clouds, drifting through the sky. Closing his eyes, he started feeling the chakra around him.

Soon, he opened them back up.

'No wonder… This guy is utterly talentless!'

Not knowing whether to laugh or to cry, Madara sighed. His body's chakra reserves were tiny for an Uchiha, and his muscles were extremely under-developed. Performing a small hand-seal, Madara tried to mold his chakra into fine needles, extending them outward.

After stretching out a little, they broke down and disappeared, leaving him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

'Not even ten centimeters… Even with my experience, this body's chakra control abilities are sub-par, to say the least. I'm surprised.'

Smiling, Madara massaged his neck. This was a challenge, and he'd never reject one.

"We're here!"

Soon, they reached a small residence. Like all other buildings around the area, the Uchiha crest was a recurring decoration among the walls.

Standing outside the house gate, Aito placed his hands around his mouth and yelled out.

"Big sis! Are you there?!"

A moment later, the front door slid open and a charming girl walked out. Like Madara and Aito, she wore traditional Uchiha clothes, albeit more casual. Her hair was long, stretching to her waist.

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Note: From this point on, I will use 'Jun' when referring to Madara. I'm writing this to hopefully avoid any sort of confusion along the way.

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#

"Jun! Aito! Come in!"

With a smile that would capture anyone's heart, Akane ran up to the gate and slid it open, allowing the two boys to enter.

"Sorry for coming out of nowhere… But Aniki's injured once again."

Suddenly, Akane's expression became worried as she got closer to Jun, inspecting his entire body. Lifting his shirt up, her face became pale.

"Heavens… Who did this to you? Was it Ren? How despicable!"

Not waiting for a reply, she frowned and grabbed hold of his wrist, pulling him into the house along with Aito.

Once inside, they went directly to what seemed like the living room[1]. Akane ordered for both of them to sit on the tatami, leaving to get her equipment.

Looking around, Jun noticed subtle traits of Uchiha architecture, causing him to reminisce about his past. The room was partitioned in a way that made it quite large, suitable for a living area.

Caressing the tatami, Jun relished in the familiar texture and the hint of Igusa[2] in the air. Although everything looked different, it somewhat stayed true to the original... To him, it felt like he was back home.

Soon enough, Akane ran back and sat on her knees, next to Jun. With a serious expression, she helped remove his shirt completely and started applying ointment. Next to them, Aito watched with a smile.

"I'll go get water. Big sis, please take care of my Aniki!"

Hearing Aito's words, Akane blushed slightly but continued her task. She watched as he left through the corner of her eye.

Jun remained calm, allowing Akane to do her job. He didn't miss the small change in her expression when Aito left, amusing him.

'Hashirama… The village we built ended up becoming way more than we could imagine. For kids their age to be able to fall in love, untainted by war… If we were both born in such times… Maybe everything would've turned out differently.'

As he immersed himself in his own thoughts, Akane tied up the last bit of bandages. Snapping out of his trance, he looked down and realizes his upper body was entirely covered up, hiding all the bruises.

Getting up, he moved around and stretched a little, noticing the pain had diminished greatly. Instead, he got a cool sensation from the ointment.

"Nice… I feel much better now, thanks."

"I'm sorry… Because of me, Ren keeps beating you up... What if he kills you by mistake one day? I don't know what I would do…"

After living for so long, Jun could easily discern a person's true intentions. Noticing her heartfelt worry and desire to help him, Jun smiled and patted Akane's head, causing her to blush uncontrollably. Being an adult at heart, he merely found this to be somewhat cute.

"Don't worry, I'll teach him a lesson soon."

Hearing his words, Akane seemed shocked. She had never seen Jun be this confident about something, surprising her. Somehow, his words carried weight… As if what he said was definitely the truth… It made her subconsciously believe him.

Suddenly, Aito walked back with a plate of rice-balls and some tea... Because of his small frame, he was struggling to carry it all and looked depressed.

"Hey! I brought back goodies! Oh, granny Mai said to come and help her with the laundry when you're done, Akane."

Finishing his sentence, Aito placed everything on the table and impatiently grabbed a rice-ball, biting into it with vigor and swallowing it. Suddenly, he started choking, and quickly reached out for a cup of tea, gulping it down.

Burning his tongue, Aito felt like crying as he waved his hands in an attempt to cool it down. Seeing this, Akane couldn't resist laughing a little, but Jun just smiled, enjoying the peace he hadn't tasted in a long time.

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[1] A traditional Japanese house does not have a designated use for each room aside from the entrance area (genkan), kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. Any room can be a living room, dining room, study, or bedroom. This is possible because all the necessary furniture is portable, being stored in oshiire, a small section of the house (large closets) used for storage.

It is important to note that in Japan, the living room is expressed as ima, living "space". This is because the size of a room can be changed by altering the partitioning. Large traditional houses often have only one ima (living room/space) under the roof, while the kitchen, bathroom, and toilet are attached on the side of the house as extensions.

[2] Juncaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the rush family. They may superficially resemble grasses and sedges, and often grow on infertile soils in a wide range of moisture conditions. The soft rush (Juncus effusus) is called 'Igusa' in Japanese and is used to weave the soft surface cover of tatami mats.

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#

After a while of talking, both Jun and Aito excused themselves as they left Akane's residence. Already feeling much better, Jun thanked her once again as they departed.

"Take care! Aito, make sure he doesn't run into any more trouble!"

"Sure thing. See you, big sis!"

On the way back tot he cabin, Jun organized his thoughts. From their earlier conversation, he managed to gather little pieces of knowledge, helping him understand his current situation a little better. From what he had gathered, both he and Aito were orphans, their parents having died on a mission the year he was born.

Ever since then, the clan provided them with their basic needs, but they mostly had to fend for themselves. This was due to the fact that Jun wasn't all that talented, so he didn't receive any special attention.

Since he was an untalented orphan but possessed great looks, he was often the target of envious children. Then again, no one dared to be excessive, because of the crest on his back. The only one who could do as he pleased was Ren, the son of the clan-head.

Usually, average children from the Uchiha clan would take, at most, three years to graduate from the academy. The norm was four, but they tended to skip a grade or two.

Jun was not talented enough, already in his fourth year at the academy. His aptitude was comparable to that of untalented commoners. This brought great shame to the prideful Uchiha clan, resulting in him being treated as an outcast.

Even in the face of such adversity and rejection, the original Jun seemed to still love his clan. From what he had gathered, the kid held no resentment whatsoever, impressing him.

'Well, I guess I'll earn him some respect. He's given me his body, after all.'

Soon, they made it back to their small cabin. It was tiny, just enough for two people to live inside.

Next to it, there was a small lake, with a beautiful forest standing behind it. Although the cabin was modest, the scenery could only be described as breathtaking.

Suddenly, Jun halted his footsteps. Extending his arm, he also stopped Aito from continuing.

"What's up, Aniki? Is everything ok?"

"Come out."

Ignoring Aito's words, Jun spoke calmly. Looking towards the cabin, his eyes narrowed a bit.

"Hehehe… So you noticed us, impressive. How did a useless brat like you achieve that?"

"Boss! He probably just said it out of the blue, to appear mysterious! So lame!"

"Hahahaha! That makes sense… So funny, haha!"

Contemptuous voices sounded from the cabin, as five kids walked out of it. One of them had a forehead protector, indicating his status as a ninja.

"Ren!"

Next to Jun, Aito gnashed his teeth in frustration.

Taking a closer look at him, Jun immediately saw through Ren. He was tall for his age, with well-developed muscles. His hair was very short, and he had pretty venomous eyes for his age. From the way he carried himself, Jun noticed an underlying superiority complex.

"Look who's here, isn't it the pair of useless, orphan brothers? I hear you've enjoyed Akane's company today… Tell me, how'd it go?"

"Gah… How did you know…"

Taking a step back, Aito's face paled as he noticed Ren's rage-filled expression. It looked like they were in for a beating, once again.

#

"Arrogant. For such a weak shinobi to have grown this conceited… I guess that peace can also have its disadvantages sometimes, who would've thought?"

Having fought opponents on levels these kids couldn't even fathom, this display of fabricated ego-filled his mouth with a bitter taste. If there was one thing he hated as much as a weak Senju, it would be a cocky ant.

"What did you just say?!"

Ren thought he had heard him wrongly. Him? An ant...? Furious, his face reddened as he clenched his fists tightly, producing cracking noises.

"Weren't you listening? Or are you deaf? I said that you're a weakling… A puny ant. Your confidence is mere bravado, in order to cover up your countless insecurities. Do you think you're powerful? Take a closer look at yourself. You're not even worthy of me speaking to you."

"...!"

Jun's words rendered everyone speechless. It was too big a change from his previous self for them to accept... Just a few hours ago, he was just cowardly trash!

Worried, Aito pulled on his brother's shirt. He didn't know where Jun was getting his confidence from, but from the looks of it, he wouldn't get out of this one with light injuries!

"Aniki… Please calm down… If you continue, he might actually kill you!"

"Hahaha! You should listen to your weak little brother… Boss, listen to the brat speaking sense into him, he's gone crazy. The beating he received earlier must've caused him brain damage!"

"Heh, it does seem like it. I'll admit, you surprised me there. Who would've thought that the eternally useless Jun would finally grow some spine? Sadly for you, I need to vent some of this accumulated anger…"

Smiling viciously, Ren took a few steps forward and extended his hand, reaching for Aito's collar. The latter froze, scared shitless.

Before he could even touch him, Jun locked his fingers around Ren's wrist.

"Hm? Trash that dares to touch me? Watch as I- Argh!"

His sentence was interrupted by a painful scream as Jun twisted his wrist, making his body contort in an attempt to prevent it from breaking. Noticing the grip loosening, he took the opportunity and retreated a few steps.

Watching him from a distance, Jun gave him a look of disgust.

"Arrgh! You little…"

"Boss!"

Behind him, the other Uchiha youths worriedly ran up to him, offering help.

"Stay back! I'll take care of him myself... Its just Jun!"

Although he didn't want to admit it, Jun had perfectly locked his wrist just then. If he had exerted even a little strength, his hand would probably be unusable now.

Making eye contact with him, Ren noticed a drastic change. Instead of fear, Jun's eyes were now filled with contempt, making him wonder what happened. Did he really hit him too hard last time around?

Next to Jun, Aito was in disbelief. Seeing his brother gain the upper hand against Ren, a small flame lit up within him, it was hope.

"You just got lucky... This time, don't think you'll escape. I'll make you experience hell."

Furious, Ren clenched his teeth and faced Jun with a malicious expression. He'd have to remind him of who the boss is around here.

#

Jun noticed Ren gathering a little chakra around his feet and arms, before lunging at him with increased speed. Recognizing the Uchiha's taijutsu, he immediately singled out the flaws in his form.

Jun just observed, unperturbed. As soon as Ren got within range, he slightly moved his neck, narrowly dodging his punch.

Following up, he used his index and middle finger as needles, hitting his opponent in various places. As he did that, because of his lack of muscle memory, Ren managed to land a punch on his cheek.

"Got you!"

"Are you sure...?"

Noticing something was amiss, Ren realized Jun hadn't moved at all from his spot. It was as if his punch carried no strength at all.

Retrieving his arm, he looked at it in disbelief. Why couldn't he gather any Chakra?

"Well, I'll be returning the favor... Hope you don't mind."

Not waiting for Ren's reaction, Jun's fist landed squarely on his jaw, knocking him away as one of his dogs caught him. Caressing his lower lip with his thumb, Jun licked the small trail of blood that came out of it.

Tasting his own blood, Jun's demeanor changed. With a sadistic grin, he looked towards the unconscious Ren and his underlings, subconsciously leaking out some of his killing intent.

It had been a while since he tasted the thrill of battle… The taste of his own blood brought out the animal in him.

Seeing him, the four youths trembled in fear, two of them soiling their pants. Never had they felt like this before… It was as if their lives were in Jun's hands, and he could kill them at any moment.

Realizing that he'd gone overboard, Jun retrieved his killing intent and cleared his throat. Looking at the five of them with disgust, he sighed.

"I don't want to see you around anymore. If you dare to lay a hand on me or my brother ever again… Don't blame me for what happens."

"Y-yes! We're off!"

Watching them scurry away like a bunch of cockroaches, Aito had no words. He too had felt his brother's killing intent but didn't know what it was.

"Aito."

"Yeah…?"

"Let's go."

Still in a daze, Aito nodded and followed Jun into the cabin. He was trying to make sense of the situation. After pinching himself a few times, he realized that it wasn't a dream.

"Aniki… You just beat Ren! How did you do that!?"

Ever since he had lost his memory, Jun had been acting weirdly… A direct contrast to what he used to be. Then again, this change was more than welcome to Aito.

"Hm? That? They were just small fry. Don't get too excited about it."

Taking out a fishing pole and other supplies from inside the cabin, Jun opened the door, heading outside. The sky was almost dark, and the still lake reflected the rising moon.

"Wait for me!"

Still giddy from the excitement, Aito followed his brother to some large rocks, where they sat down and started fishing.

Although the rod was simple, Jun wouldn't let it hinder him. Piercing some bait with the hook, he threw it out and patiently waited.

Unable to restrain himself, Aito broke the silence.

"How did you do it? Ren's a ninja! Not only that, but he's one of the best from his generation!"

His surprise was understandable. Ren had graduated after only two years at the academy and had been the rookie of the year. Although he was a year younger than Jun, he already had a year of experience as a genin!

Meanwhile, Jun was a fourth-year student at the academy, his ranking rock bottom amongst his peers. On paper, there was no comparison between the two.

" I guess I got lucky...? Oh! I got one!"

Grasping the handle tightly, Jun expertly reeled in, as a fish slowly came out of the water. Holding up the string with his left hand, they both stared at the lively fish. He had done this countless times before, to feed his younger brothers back in the warring states era.

"Huge!"

"I guess we're having a feast tonight."

---

Hey peeps, T0X1N here. Thank you for reading part one of the first arc!

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