The truth behind it all(Itachi x Naruto)18+

Chapter 5: The end of a clan

He jumped from shadow to shadow, from house to house; killing most of his clansmen in their sleep, fast and painless.

A life was so easily ended. The human body is so fragile and weak. Slitting a throat, stabbing a heart or pressing a pillow down on their face; pinning them down. It was so easy and to Itachi`s surprise, he liked it. He felt somehow relieved, free. No more expectations, no more orders and no more pretending to be a good guy.

As he walked down the main street towards his parents home to punish his father and mother for their betrayal he was surrounded by the last surviving clansmen. Among them were his uncle and aunt.

“Itachi, what are you doing?” the uncle said. “You are betraying you clan and put shame to our name and your father.”

“My father is a traitor to Konoha and so are you. You are the ones that put shame to our name. The clan is only holding me back. I have no room to grow and evolve to a greater being. “The raven-haired prodigy drew his katana.
“You want to destroy so many lives to gain more power and influence, isn’t it alright, that I want to do the same?”

“You are mad, Itachi!” The aunt cried as she witnessed the youth kill three clansmen on his left by separating their heads from their shoulders.

Itachi killed them all. He didn’t even have to break a sweat as they were nothing more than weaklings compared to his power.

The young Uchiha watched the evidence of his doing. Blood and guts were decorating the walls that had once housed the people of his clan. He crocked his head and followed the trail of the spilled blood with his crimson eyes. The sound of it dripping down, hitting the dirt with a hollow plop fascinated him somehow.

´This is what a human is all about; blood, flesh, brain and gut… so fragile, so weak.` He repeated in his mind.

A smirk formed on his lips as he walked up to the house of his parents, without further interruptions.

~ # ~

“Yes, I may be mad, father, but I still know that what you do is wrong. I won’t let anyone harm my little angel, if I can prevent it. I don`t fear death and neither should you, because it is on the verge of death or when we are about to lose what is important to us, that we can obtain true power and clarity. I knew from the time when you ordered me to use my connection with Naruto to lure him into a trap that I wanted to put an end to this clan`s suffering.” Itachi dragged his father to the dojo and dropped his tormented and bleeding form next to his unconscious wife on the hardwood floor.

“What suffering? We don`t suffer, Itachi. We would have obtained true power as the rulers of this hidden city. The demon kid is not worthy to live among us, and you know it. The demon has clouded your mind to save his own skin. You have been bewitched by his innocent appearance and promises of more power.” Fugaku yelled as he wrapped his arms around his wife, and tried to wake her up.

“Naruto isn’t a demon. He is only the gatekeeper; he keeps it locked away so that we can live in peace. He never requested anything from me. He once told me that I should stay away from him because it could damage my reputation to be seen talking to him. He never complains even though his life must be hell.”

“He was just trying to get your sympathy, son-“

“Shut the f*** up, what do you know about Naruto. The people of this city find it amusing to torment him. I asked him, why he would put up with the beating, why he didn’t defend himself… and do you know what he said? He said that he had to prove to them that he wasn’t like the demon the they expected him to be… He is just a small child and yet so wise and strong.” Itachi said with anger. His father was an ignorant and a fool. He was blinded by the lust for power and his hatred for an innocent child that had been so unfortunate to be chosen as the vessel of one of the nine demons that existed in this world.

“You sound as if you were in love with the brat or something,” Fugaku growled in rage.

“He’s eight years old, you despicable old fool.” Itachi was beyond rage, why were they implying that he wanted to have a sexual relationship with a small child – disgusting. He liked the blonde, yes; Itachi would even call it love… but not like that. The boy was too young for something like that, why would someone even think of doing something like that with an eight year old? Perverted bastards.

“You really killed of our entire clan just to save that demon`s ass didn’t you, Itachi. You don`t really care what is going to happen to this town do you, all that you care about it that little brat!” Itachi stared coldly at his father. He rested his katana on his shoulder and walked to stand behind his parents.

The young Uchiha heir could see that his mother was about to wake up and smirked. He was going to kill them, happy knowing that he was the one that was going to end their miserable lives.

“It is not wise to mock the man with a sword in his hand, father!” the raven-haired said with an evil smirk. “Naruto will grow strong in my absence and when he’s strong enough I will come back for him. If Sasuke is strong enough too, I might even consider taking him along with me.”

“Leave Sasuke out of this,” his mother, who was now fully awake, pleaded with him. “He loves you and looks up to you… please spare him.”

“Sasuke is weak. He wants to be like me, but that is not the way to become a strong shinobi. Sasuke must learn to live on his own. I will spare his life and make sure that he and Naruto will become stronger. I’ll try a little experiment. I want to see which kind of motivation works best, hate or love.” He felt a sting of satisfaction as he saw the fear and surprise in his parents’ eyes. He could hear how his otouto was entering the gates of the Uchiha district.

“I´m sorry but I have to leave you for a few minutes, Sasuke has arrived.” He smirked at his parents as he caught them in a genjutsu to be able to kill them just before his brother would enter the dojo.

He gave their frozen frames a glare before he left to catch Sasuke in a genjutsu as well. Itachi didn’t want his brother to see the corpses that just yet. He would only let the boy see his dead aunt and uncle at first and hopefully make Sasuke run home to their house.

The older Uchiha heir stared down on his younger brother from the lightning pole he was standing as Sasuke ran into town. Itachi would have cast the genjutsu immediately if he hadn’t felt the presence of three very strong individuals closing in on the Uchiha district.

The chakra that was emitted from their bodies was just amazing – so strong that he felt drawn to it. Itachi smirked; he was definitely going to seek these three out as soon as he was done here.

As soon as he had caught his foolish little brother in the illusion, he was on his way back to the mansion. Itachi grabbed Naruto from the kitchen table, where he had been sleeping in safety, and hid the blonde in his bedroom (Itachi´s).

Itachi had decided that his little angelic fox would be safe as long as he was with him, and what would be a better place to hide the boy from everyone than the main household of the clan?

The blonde muttered Itachi´s name in his sleep and curled into the embrace. Itachi couldn’t help but to smile as he tugged the boy under the blanket. Naruto was hugging Itachi´s pillow and snuggled into it. The Uchiha found that the blonde looked very good in his bed.

“Maybe, once you are older, I will make you mine, my little angel” The Uchiha said as he brushed a blonde strain of hair away from a whiskered cheek. He bend down and kissed the sweet little tanned nose, before he left the boy to finish what he had started in the dojo.

~ # ~

“Are you sure that he is willing to go with us?” the dark-hired girl said emotionless.

“He wants to become stronger, I can feel it. He is perfect as a partner for Kisame and the sharingan is a powerful bloodline.” The orange-haired man smirked.

“And if he declines?” She asked.

“He won’t but there is always his younger brother if he does. I can feel that Uchiha Sasuke is still alive though Itachi-kun has already noticed his presence here. Uchiha Sasuke has a lot of potential just like his brother, he might not be as strong as Itachi yet, but his time will come.” The pieced Pein said smugly. “Itachi also has a bond, a valuable bond to someone in this city that we could use to our advantage in the future.”

“If you say so, Pein,” the girl said as if this conversation was starting to bore her.

“When should we approach him?” The blue skinned man, with the name Kisame, asked.

“Let him finish what he has started… and say his goodbyes to his brother and his friend… then we make our move.” Pein said with a smirk. Everything was going to be perfect and Akatsuki would soon be welcoming another powerful member in their midst.

~ # ~

“Ah… right on time!” Itachi released his parents from the genjutsu as he heard his younger brother call out for his family from the other part of the mansion.

“Itachi, what are you planning to do?” Fugaku asked. He knew it would be futile to beg for his and his wife’s lives as Itachi seemed to be set on killing them both.

“I´m going to kill you both just before Sasuke enters this room, father. I want him to see the life giving blood taint the floor red as you bleed to death in front of his eyes.”

“Why? He’s you little brother, for Kami´s sake. You should protect him and not that little demon of yours.” His father yelled.

“Sasuke is weak, and I blame you for that, father. You focused all you energy on me and forgot about his existence. I´m going to destroy his illusions about me, illusions that you forced him to make because you ignored him. You wanted him to be like me and so he wanted to as well… now I will make sure that Sasuke becomes like me. I will hurt him to make him hate me. I will force him to distance himself from others and force him to become strong enough to kill me in the end. I will make it his purpose in life to kill me… that will be his destiny.”

“You have lost your mind. Itachi listen to yourself. Leave Sasuke alone, take the demon with you and go where ever you want to go,” Fugaku cried out in desperation.

“No! Sasuke will learn just how cruel the world can be and Naruto will have to learn to survive on his own as well. I wonder how they will do, don´t you, father?”

“MOM? DAD?” Itachi´s smirk grew as he heard his little brother’s desperate cry from the other side of the door. Fugaku stared at Itachi´s smug expression with fear. He loved both his sons and would do anything to try to save at least one of them from madness.

“Sasuke! Don´t come in here!” Fugaku cried out to his youngest son. He felt the tears run down his cheeks in defeat as he heard the sound of a door being opened slowly. Sasuke was disobeying him and was entering the dojo. The last thing he heard before his oldest sons katana was rammed through his chest was the sound of his wife’s body colliding with the wooden floor; her heart pierced by the very same blade.

Itachi saw his fathers lifeless form fall onto his dead wife as he withdrew the katana from his heart. Their torture was finally over and they could rest along with their other relatives in hell for their crimes and schemes.

“DAD! MOM!” Sasuke cried out in disbelief and fear as he saw his dead parents on the floor. Itachi stepped into the shadows to hide from the younger boy.

“Who’s there?” Sasuke stepped closer to the corpses and stared at his parents’ murderer who was still holding on to the murder weapon.

“Aniki? What happened? Kasan… and tosan, they’re? Who did th-“ something scratched the younger Uchiha´s chin before ramming into the door behind him? A small trail of blood ran down from the cut on the pale child’s cheek.

“My poor little naïve and foolish otouto…you don´t know anything .” Itachi stepped into the light. He was standing in front of the dead bodies and activated his sharingan.

“Aniki? why?” The young boy stepped slowly backwards, his eyes wide in fear and disbelief.

“You are weak, Sasuke… the next twenty-four hours you will relive this day… you have to learn just how cruel the world can be to those who are weak… Mangekyo sharingan!” Itachi trapped his little brother in a genjutsu; showing him all the things that had occurred that night.

“Aaaargh, Nooooo, please don´t, Itachi! Don´t do it, please.” Itachi watched as his brother dropped to his knees in agony. The visions were too much for his young mind to comprehend.

“Why are you doing this? Doushite? Uarrh, Stop, please make it stop, Aniki,” Sasuke was laying flat on his stomach. His eyes blurred with tears and drool running from his parted lips. His mind was damaged and his faith broken. “Why? Why did you kill ka-san… and to-san ? Why?”

“Tell me why… you did it!” Sasuke managed to ask.

“It was to measure my capacity, Sasuke!”

“To measure… your capacity? That’s all? That’s… the only… reason… you killed everyone… for that?”

“…It was essential!” Itachi just glared at his little brother. ´I cannot tell him the real reason. I can’t destroy his bonds to the clan or he would be broken, and I can’t use him if he breaks now. He still thinks that our clan is heroic and noble. That the clan was fair and righteous… I better let him hang on to that memory a bit longer,`

“Just for that… you killed… everyone?” The young boy whispered sadly.

“Yes… just for that!” Itachi answered. ´Yes believe that I killed them for something as simple as that. Think that all I want is mere power… think that I´m that simpleminded and grow stronger.`

“… How… how dare you?” Sasuke cried out in pain while Itachi just stared at him. It wasn’t easy to hurt the young boy. Itachi loved his brother, but the boy was just too naïve for his own good. This had to be done.

“What… that’s… complete crap!!!” Sasuke managed to find the strength to get up and rushed forward to confront his Aniki.

Itachi felt like a jerk as he hit Sasuke in the gut with his fist, sending the young boy to his knees, right in front of his dead parents.

Sasuke opened his tear filled eyes and found himself face to face with his dead father. He was scared… so scared to end up like his mother and father.

“Nooo, please don´t kill me!” He cried out as he rushed to his feet and ran for his life. Away… far away from his aniki.

“You aren´t worth the while… yet!” Itachi growled as he decided to follow his brother. He had one last thing to tell his otouto before he would leave Konoha.

He intercepted Sasuke at the main street.

“Sasuke!” Itachi called out to his younger brother who was standing a few feet away; facing him with tears in his eyes.

“… You… you can’t be my brother… because…” Sasuke stuttered. The eight year old raven trembled all over.

“The brother you wanted to spend time with did this… to ascertain his ´capacity`… I continued acting as the elder brother, you desired, and I became your companion… to see if there was enough potential hidden in you.” Itachi tilted his head with a cold stare.

“You found me disagreeable and hated me… you continued to try to surpass me… because of that I will let you live… for my sake. You can awaken the same Mangekyo sharingan as me… however there is a requirement!”

“…?” Sasuke couldn’t understand where this was going, but decided to keep his mouth shut and listen.

“To obtain this ability… you have to kill your best friend… in order to become like me!” Itachi watched as Sasuke´s eyes grew wide in realization and horror. ´Yes Sasuke, you don´t want to become like me and the sooner you realize that the better.`

“… Aniki?... Aniki… did you… kill Shisui-san?”

“Thanks to his sacrifice, I was able to obtain this ´eye`… at the main temple of the Nakano shrine, on the far right side, under the seventh tatami mat is the clan’s secret meeting place. There you will find the original purpose of the doujutsu of the Uchiha clan!”

“…?!!” Sasuke´s eyes went wide. The original purpose of the sharingan? What was that all about?

“The real truth is hidden there! All secrets of our clan have always been hid at that spot!” Itachi said coldly. His otouto was really a naïve child… but that was already beginning to change.

´The truth? Every secret is hidden there?` Sasuke wondered what it could be, that was so secret that it had to be hidden.

“If you open your eyes to the truth… there will be three people or actually four if you count the one extra eye of a certain man along, who can use the kaleidoscope copy wheel eye… there would be a good reason to let you live.” Itachi smirked. ´Yes there are four of us, Sasuke and you are one of us.`

“…!!!” The younger boy stepped backwards in fear. ´Am I able to use the Mangekyo sharingan along with Itachi and two others? Who are the other two and what’s about the one eyed man? `

“If you want to kill me, Sasuke… curse me! Hate me! And live a long and unsightly life… Run away! run away… And cling to your pitiful existence. And some day, when you have the same ´eyes` as me… come before me and face your destiny!” Itachi glared smugly at his younger brother, who seemed on the verge of passing out. Sasuke was panting heavily; his hands on his knees for support.

The murderous teen watched as his otouto dropped to his knees before passing out on the dirt.
“Gomen, Sasuke… but this is for your own good!” and with that he turned away and returned the main house to pick up an angel.

~ # ~

“He is ready… let us pick him up,” Pein said with a satisfied smirk on his pierced face. He and his companions had watched the entire show from a safe distance, and Pein had to admit that the Uchiha heir was something special. Just the perfect member of his little group of missing nins.

They watched as the raven-haired teen carried the snoring blonde boy in his arms through the hidden city of the leaf.

“Why is he leaving the kid behind?” Kisame asked in wonder. “The little brat has a lot of potential and a bijuu inside of him. He could be a huge asset if he was on our side.”

“That might be true, Kisame, but Itachi would just grow too attached to the boy… and that could turn out to be a problem when the final day comes. I don´t like when people turn their backs on me… and he probably would.” Pein stated calmly.

“Never trust a man who kills his own family?” The dark-haired girl called Konan asked.

“Exactly Konan-chan… let’s go and introduce ourselves to our newest member.” Pein said as he walked into town while carefully masking his chakra, so that they wouldn´t have to run into any guards.

TBC