Itachi no unmei -イタチの運命-
(The Destiny of Itachi)
Part 3 : Back to the Uchiha house
The snow had eased off somewhat compared to yesterday. The sun lit up the village of Konoha with a thousand fires. Despite this, the houses remained white, covered in snow. Judging by the cleared paths, the villagers must have already started clearing the area.
I waited, still perched on my spot. The fog was still thick enough to hide my presence. Finally, as the weather improved, I was no longer safe from certain sensory ninjas coming out and detecting me. But anyway... Given where Orochimaru was planning to go... I was bound to be spotted eventually.
— Have you been here long?»
Orochimaru had just arrived. He was now standing right behind me, waiting patiently.
— Yes... Maybe a good hour.»
— Seriously? I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long...»
— It doesn't matter... I like staying here and watching the village.»
— Well... You really love your village for a psychopath who killed all his own people...»
— I just like the view, that's all.»
That was false, of course. I loved the view of Konoha village. But the most important thing for me was to watch over the village. Mainly, to make sure my brother was okay, that Danzô wasn't breaking his promise not to harm him.
— Shall we go?» Orochimaru urged me.
— No. Let's wait a little longer. Sasuke will be leaving for the Academy soon. It's better to wait until he's gone. I'd rather not have to face him. It would complicate things...» I replied to him.
— I understand.»
Another hour had already passed. Sasuke must have left for the academy a while ago. We then set off toward our destination. I knew that at any moment, we could be spotted, which would put an end to our plan. Orochimaru had therefore posted one of his spies at the place we were supposed to go. The spy summoned us to the location.
We had now arrived at our destination... the Uchiha Clan's hideout. It had been a long time since I had been back there... The last time was... the day Madara and I had slaughtered my entire clan. That was already... three years ago. At the time, I was only 12 years old. Today, I was already 15... Time had passed so quickly...
Within the Uchiha clan's buildings, there was a temple called Nakano. Inside it, there was a stone monument. On it was engraved the symbol of the Sharingan, the infamous hereditary trait unique to the Uchiha. And inside that monument... that's where we were headed.
— To enter, you need to know the appropriate mudras. You know them, don't you?» Orochimaru asked me.
I nodded my head in agreement. Behind this monument stood the Uchiha council. Here, the Uchiha discussed political decisions. It was here that they decided to stage a coup to take control of the village of Konoha and appoint my father, Fugaku Uchiha, as the fifth Hokage. I myself participated in these meetings... from a very young age, I was one of the youngest in the clan's history to have joined. That's how I was able to predict the coup... and kill them all before it was too late.
You have to understand me... If I hadn't acted that way, my clan would have failed anyway. Konoha would have won... but it would have emerged very weakened, with heavy losses, especially within my own clan. As a result, of course, the neighboring villages would have attacked us... Today, Konoha would surely no longer exist because of my actions. I'm not pretending to be a hero; on the contrary, I sacrificed my reputation and my life for this village that I cherish so much.
Seeing the gathering behind Nakano Temple brought back all those memories... I had betrayed the trust of my friend Shisui, who would have wanted a more peaceful ending... But I knew there were no other alternatives. At least... I think so.
I was there then. In that room... which had been the scene of all my misfortunes. Strangely, I wasn't that moved... I glanced over at Orochimaru. In a way, he wasn't entirely wrong. He and I had certain similarities... A normal human being would have cried at the nostalgic sight of a place that had caused the death of his family and his home... for which he was responsible.
— What's the next step?» I asked my partner.
He smiled, then said:
— I must stand in front of the Uchiha memorial. You stay back.»
In front of us stood the Uchiha monument. This monument was supposedly written long ago by the hermit Rikudo himself, and only someone with a Sharingan could decipher its writing. It was this monument... that had driven my people to revolution. Seeing it again did not please me in the least. I doubted that it had been written by God himself, if he even really existed...
Orochimaru took a mask out of his outfit. It was shaped like a demon's head, like the ones described in ninja legends. He then turned to me, smiling.
— I had completely forgotten... To perform the ritual, I need a human being to sacrifice. That is the condition for summoning a dead person from the afterlife.»
He stared at me as if to say, "Go ahead." I understood perfectly what he wanted me to do... I had to kill someone and bring him back. But... could an innocent person die just for that? No... I couldn't let those kinds of unnecessary thoughts enter my mind anymore. I had made a decision, I had made choices. The good of the world had to come before everything else... even if it meant I would rot in hell.
— I'll get you what you need...» I sighed, despite myself.
I then left Nakano Temple. Now... I didn't know exactly where to go. Who could I possibly kill? I couldn't just attack anyone... First of all, preferably not an elite ninja. They guaranteed the safety of the village, which would find itself in a delicate situation. Nor could it be someone from the upper echelons; the village needed to maintain stable leadership.
After thinking it over, the best option was either an elderly civilian or a criminal. Neither of them was particularly useful to the village, and they were nearing the end of their lives, so it seemed like the sensible thing to do. Now, the question that lingered in my mind... was "who, exactly"?
I was observing the village. We had probably already been spotted, I suppose... This meant that at any moment, any ninja could come and attack me. Come to think of it, if I killed an elderly person or a criminal... it would be too suspicious. I had to continue building my reputation as a bloodthirsty killer. However, if a squad of ninjas came to attack us... it would disrupt Orochimaru's "ritual." All the conditions were in place for...
Suddenly, I sensed a strong presence. A ninja lunged at me. His presence had appeared suddenly, so he must have used a technique of rapid or even instantaneous movement. He threw a kunai at me, which he had infused with the nature of fire chakra.
FSHUUU...
Of course, my Sharingan, constantly activated, had seen the attack coming. In one swift motion, I grabbed the kunai and threw it back at the enemy. The attack was so fast that he didn't have time to react and died instantly.
— Aaargh!» he groaned.
Then, suddenly, a horde of ninjas threw themselves at me. I understood the tactic: the other one was just a decoy, intended to create a diversion. Instantly, he vanished after being struck by his own kunai. He was a clone.
In front of me now stood a squad of about a dozen ninjas. My Sharingan instantly counted 13.
I took a step back, ready to face them. I had to neutralize them as quickly as possible... They had probably already detected Orochimaru's chakra too.
— Katon! Supreme Fireball!» I shouted.
Instantly, a huge fireball shot out of my mouth and flew toward my 13 opponents. The attack was so fast that they didn't have time to react. Only four of them managed to dodge the attack and stood cautiously, holding back, still facing me.
— And you call yourself a Jonin?» I said ironically «They give out that diploma far too easily... I already knew how to throw Kunai at the age of 4, you know...»
My opponents frowned; I had annoyed them. They can't keep their cool, and they call themselves ninjas? I had nothing against the fact that ninjas were weaker these days; it showed that we were gradually moving towards peace. However, that was no reason to let just anyone become a Jonin.
Today, all you needed was to be at the Chunin level and master two types of chakra to achieve this rank. I'm exaggerating, but you get the picture. In other words, for me, defeating these opponents was a piece of cake.
— Itachi Uchiha... How dare you return to Konoha Village after what you did?» one of my opponents suddenly exclaimed «What are you thinking?!»
I stared at him.
— You should know that, right? Never look an Uchiha in the eye.»
The next moment, he was on the ground.
— Don't look him in the eyes!» shouted one of the three remaining. «He's using genjutsu!»
It must have been the section chief. Not very smart... Only now would he realize it. But who wouldn't take that kind of precaution when facing an Uchiha, especially after seeing his Sharingan activated?! Anyway, I didn't have much to do to win. No need to think about it.
I then raised my index finger slowly. They looked at it silently, without understanding.
— The game is already over.»
They then attempted an offensive against me. I didn't think twice about it. It didn't matter how extensive their techniques were... They were already caught in my genjutsu.
I imagined a deep chasm where they fell and crashed, then the chasm cracked, creating a new chasm. All this happened continuously, infinitely.
— Gwaaah!!»
— Kyaaah!!»
— Gwaaah!!»
If I had been sadistic, I would have found this scene hilarious. There they were, motionless, mouths wide open, screaming their heads off. They were completely... Disconnected from reality.
— You'll know for next time. I don't need my eyes to cast a simple genjutsu.»
Then I turned on my heel, leaving them to their terror.
As I passed by, I caught a ninja. He was one of those who had been caught in my fireball. He was dripping with blood, looking annoyed. He would do the trick.
Suddenly, I sensed a presence nearby. I was not alone.
— Come out of your hiding place.» I ordered the intruder.
Suddenly, a kunai flew toward me. Instinctively, I ducked to avoid it. He had been quick. This... was no small fry.
My pupils darted in the direction of my attacker. He was standing there, hidden in a bush.
— Get out of there, I told you.»
My eye fluttered. No. With surprising speed, my opponent grazed my right shoulder. I just had time to dodge his attack.
His technique... I would have recognized it among thousands. Only one person could use such a raiton technique... So fast...
— Kakashi Hatake... It's been a long time.»
The man then emerged from his hiding place. He hadn't changed. Simply, this time, unlike our last encounter, he wasn't wearing the traditional anbu outfit. He had donned the jonin jacket, and his face was uncovered. Although he still wore a mask over the lower part of his face.
— I don't have time to waste on you,» I said to him.
— You're coming back home after three years... Do you regret leaving your home?» he replied.
— No... I'm here for something else.»
— I won't let you continue.»
— I know. I have no choice.»
Kakashi Hatake... He wasn't just anyone. He may not have been an Uchiha like me, but he also possessed the Sharingan. Unlike others who stole this dojutsu from the Uchiha, he had mastered it very well. Not as well as me, but in some ways, he could rival the elders of my clan.
The best way to end a fight as quickly as possible was to use genjutsu. Apart from Madara, no ninja alive in this world had greater mastery than me. But Kakashi... He might well be able to counter some of my genjutsu.
I didn't have much choice. The best way... was to use my most powerful genjutsu. That way, I was sure I could neutralize him. I thought I would be able to defeat him without resorting to such measures, but I had to do it. Other enemies could arrive... And I had to join Orochimaru.
My eye suddenly burned. The tomoe of my Sharingan rotated and transformed. The Mangekyou Sharingan.
— Tsukuyomi...»
Kakashi's eyes twitched. He was under my control now. Several versions of myself would emerge from the water, armed with swords, and stab him repeatedly. That's what I usually did... But not today.
I would then create a happy dream for them. I had a choice with this power: I could either make them experience the hell of torture, or create a genjutsu that brought the victim's most cherished dreams to life.
— Next time, it won't happen like that. Remember that.» I warned him.
Kakashi's mask moved slightly.
— Obito...»
"Obito"... That name sounded familiar... But where from? No. I didn't have time to think about all that. I had to hurry. So I turned off the road and headed back toward Nakano Temple, the ninja I had captured under my arm.
— Itachi... I've been waiting a long time.» Orochimaru murmured cheerfully.
I placed the captured ninja on the ground without saying a word. Orochimaru took it and examined it carefully.
— You disappoint me... You didn't even kill him?»
— He's going to die anyway, isn't he? Whether I kill him before or now, it doesn't make any difference.» I pointed out.
I realized then what a mistake I had made. I should have killed him before returning to Nakano Temple. At least in my hands, he would have suffered less...
It wasn't too late. I took out a kunai and slit his throat, killing him instantly. He was unconscious, so he probably felt the pain but wasn't fully aware of it, which was still better than what Orochimaru could have offered him.
— We don't have the same methods of assassination...» Orochimaru remarked.
I didn't reply; I had no interest in getting involved in such provocation. Now I waited for him to proceed with his "ritual." Our time was running out.
Orochimaru then picked up his demon mask and placed it on his head. He performed the Shinigami mudra. A malevolent aura then emanated from his entire body. Suddenly, he appeared. The god of death.
So that's what he looked like... He had the same face as Orochimaru's mask. But unlike Orochimaru, he had a chakra aura that made the scene even more horrific. An ordinary civilian would have been terrified and left traumatized for life.
Orochimaru then took a knife from his belt and plunged it into his abdomen. It was the same kind of knife used for seppuku, a tradition among ninjas who would voluntarily take their own lives to die with honor.
He made a raid along his stomach and blood splattered the floor, flowing freely. Then, a soul was extracted from the Shinigami.
On the ground, Orochimaru had drawn seal marks, intended to summon the dead. The soul then moved toward the man I had killed, who was lying on one of those seals.
— Edo Tensei!» Orochimaru pronounced.
The soul then joined the corpse, the Seal of Illumina, gray smoke rose from the ground, and there he appeared, taking the place of the corpse...
— Orochimaru... He's not the Fourth Hokage...»
He glanced at the man now standing in front of us and nodded.
— Impossible...» he exclaimed in astonishment.
— How is that possible?» I asked him
— I believe... that when I tried to extract Minato's soul from the Shinigami... another soul pushed it away and took its place... But to do that... you have to be incredibly powerful...»
He paused, shocked by what was unfolding before our eyes.
— No doubt about it... Itachi... I don't know this man... But if he managed to pull off this feat... He is immeasurably more powerful than Minato... And even than us.»
I looked at the man in front of me. I think... I recognized him... But no... It was impossible... It couldn't be him... If it were, that would mean that...
📖To be Continued...📖