Interlude: Sasuke Uchiha

[In a dark cave hidden behind great mountains and trees]

“Sasuke.” A masked man said.

“Hn. The procedure has gone well.” Sasuke said, sitting up on the bed and turning towards the masked man.

Amaterasu.

In a mere second, the mask the man wore was covered in black, eternal, flames.

Shaking and ducking back into darkness, the masked man shook off the mask and escaped the flames.

Sasuke stared at what happened, wide-eyed and surprised.

Seconds later, the masked man came back and wore the mask again before speaking: “Haha. Close call. To think Itachi would do something like that. Interesting.”

“What do you mean, Itachi did something?” Sasuke asked, holding his face in pain.

“Itachi put a genjutsu on you, trying to protect you. Like always. Don’t you know? Everything he ever did was for you and you only.” The masked man said as his Sharingan spun.

…

“So … Itachi killed the clan because he was forced to do that by Danzo and Konoha?” Sasuke asked Madara, his face warping in anger.

“That’s right.” Madara said, leisurely leaning against a wall and crossing his arms on his chest.

“Then … me killing him … it was something he planned? So that I could get the eternal mangekyo?”

“Right again. And it was Danzo that forced him into all that.”

Sasuke gasped, dread spreading in his body.

I killed my brother … for no reason? He didn’t kill our family because he wanted to … it was Konoha that forced him to do that. It was Danzo that forced him to do that …

Sasuke’s EMS spun as he grit his teeth, screaming out: “Danzo! You insect … I will kill you and all that you hold dear in whatever twisted way you can. And as for Konoha … I’ll destroy it and kill every single person inside of it. They don’t deserve to live. Every single shinobi, kunoichi and civilian … they are all guilty. Especially the Hokage … sadly he is already dead. But, there are others that he held dear … his team, the Sannin. I’ll come for them all.”

…

Sasuke did not realize that Obito had already left him alone to drown and be smothered by his own hatred.

As Obito walked through the dark corridors of the hideout, he mumbled: “Foolish child. You don’t even realize that Itachi did what he did for you, but he was also incredibly loyal to Konoha. Maybe he really was the most loyal shinobi Konoha ever had.”

Silent for a few meters, he whispered again: “Oh how cursed the Uchiha are. We love too much and if we lose what we love, then we find solace in darkness, blood and hatred. If we don’t have others pulling us out of that, we will drown.”

 

…

 

Sasuke looked around, feeling a few presences approach.

Ah, isn’t that Sakura? And … Kiba, Shino and Akamaru. And … someone new.

He feels weird. His chakra is calm and unbothered, yet sharp and full of darkness.

The group stopped in front of him, staring at him.

He had long already activated his EMS, waiting for their attack.

They arrived here … to do what? Kill me?

Idiots.

Sakura’s eyes seemed to hold fear and disbelief, or so he thought, locking gazes with her.

Seeing Kiba’s mouth open, Sasuke turned to look at him, his eyes slightly narrowing: “Sasuke. Come back to Konoha with us on your own free will and we can guarantee that you won’t be treated harshly.”

He heard Akamaru bark, as if underlining the words Kiba spoke.

Stupid. You don’t know anything. Konoha would never not treat me harshly. Even back then, when I was still in that shithole of a village, they treated me as ‘the last Uchiha’ … a weapon, not unlike Naruto.

“Hah, you are foolish. Why would I go back to that place at all?” He said, a condescending smirk forming on his face.

After a brief silence, he continued: “That place … Konoha. I’ll destroy it. Konoha has killed my brother and my family. And I’ll be the one to take revenge for them. I’ve always been the avenger, so why not play that role a little longer?”

He let the hatred rush through his mind and he barely truly recognized his own voice.

He regarded the group again and saw Sakura shiver in fear. Something in her eyes dimmed and it … angered him, it made him feel cold and … alone.

Angrily, he caught them in a genjutsu.

Surprisingly, not long after he used his jutsu, Sakura was already able to escape it.

She has grown stronger.

“Ah? Has the little fangirl gained some skills? Though then again, it’s not that impressive to get out of such a low-level genjutsu.” Exited his mouth without much control.

Leaves flew next to him and he felt a familiar presence appear.

Madara.

He watched as Sakura looked over to the other Uchiha next to him.

“Brave. To look right into my eye.” The other Akatsuki said.

“Who-“ Sakura mumbled.

Suddenly, the cry of a raven was heard, and he nearly had to cover his ears at the sheer overpowering quality it held.

A huge raven landed in between the tree branch he was on and the group of Sakura.

Four figures were upon it.

Ah, Sensei. Naruto. That’s … she … looks a bit like Karin? Though, only her hair.

She is vastly different, the sheer mass of chakra hidden in her body … and that seal on her forehead …

Her eye … that raven-black eye … it looks similar to an Uchiha’s eye.

He hadn’t gotten to truly observe the last person on the raven, when Naruto suddenly spoke: “Sasuke. Come back to Konoha.”

Sasuke felt a laugh uncontrollably exit his throat: “And why would I ever do that?”

He watched as Naruto grit his teeth and his eyes narrowed: “Because that’s your home. Our home.”

Sasuke sighed in his mind. Not anymore. Not after what they did to everyone I care and cared about.

The real thing that I do not understand is why you, Naruto, are still willing to stay in that place.

“You are wrong. Naruto, you are too naïve …” He said.

After locking gazes with his former teammate for a while, he suddenly saw the Uzumaki girl activate a Sharingan … and not a normal one either.

Mangekyo!

Seeing it spin, his body turned cold: “Who are you. You are no Uchiha. How did you get that eye?”

“You are the one that killed Danzo, aren’t you?” Madara said next to him.

The girl however, just stared at them, not even once moving a muscle or answering them. She seemed to regard them with … indifference. As if they, or rather he, didn’t matter at all.

It showed even more in the way that she soon attacked Madara but seemed to ignore Sasuke.

“Kotoamatsukami.” She said.

Sasuke couldn’t feel anything happen, it was as if she didn’t even do anything … until Madara suddenly said: “Young lady, that’s a dangerous genjutsu you have there. That eye, it was formerly Danzo’s, right?”

After a bit of silence, she answered: “That’s right. Who are you?”

So, she is the one that killed Danzo. I could thank her for doing so, since I didn’t need to. Though, in reality, I should have been the one to take revenge for my clan.

“My name is … Madara Uchiha.” Madara answered.

Sasuke looked at the fourth person on the raven who shouted: “One of the founders?!”

He turned to Madara, feeling his gaze on himself: “You are right. Though, it is time for us to leave, Sasuke.”

Sasuke nodded: “That’s right, we have important things to do after all.”

Sasuke sent one last look at Naruto before Obito’s eye spun and they vanished as though reality warped around them.

…

Back in the cave, Madara looked at him and said: “Sasuke. Let’s go. The Five Kage Summit has already begun.”

Right.

“Remember what I told you. We are going there to get the last two Bijuu … or, if they decline, to declare war on them. Either way, Konoha will be destroyed.”

“Alright, got it. Let’s go then.” Sasuke said, looking at Madara intently.

He could swear that he heard Madara chuckle and soon they were on their way to the Five Kage Summit.

Hokage … I’ll kill you, no matter who you are.

…

A/N: Alright, a small ‘interlude’, or whatever one wants to call it.

Dunno if there’ll be plotholes or whatever … I just hope that it managed to put some stuff into perspective?

Damn, this chapter felt like trash. I kind of ... just can't get anything done rn though, so ... hopefully some people still enjoyed this, even though its quality is fairly lacking :3