Prologue: The Nightmares That Never Seem to Fade Part I

A crimson moon stared down at us when we returned home. The red and white paper fan that hung over the front gate had kunai stuck in it, signaling red flags. I stepped forward, slowly, afraid of the ominous atmosphere, but the sound of a splash broke the silence.

Strange. I don’t remember it raining.

Thud!

I turned my head to the sound of a body hitting the ground. Sasuke’s eyes were filled with panic as he trembled on the floor. His finger pointed at my feet. A crimson red engulfed my shoes and a couple of inches from it… A body, my father’s: Ryu Uchiha.

“I need to go check on my family.” Sasuke ran off talking to himself. “Itachi will know what to do.”

Staring at my father’s dead body, I would have collapsed if I hadn’t heard the clash of blades and a familiar scream. I ran towards it. As fast as I could. Please be ok. Please be ok. Please be ok.

The moment I arrived, I was greeted by a blur of movement. The metal clang of kunai resounded in front of my home. My eyes couldn’t keep up with the fight, just blurs of orange and black, but when they stopped, I recognized my sister’s long black hair and red eyes. Her usually perfect face was smeared in trails of blood that drained from her eyes.

“So, this is the Shinigami’s Mangekyō Sharingan.” The voice came from a man I didn’t recognize. He stood in front of me, a towering figure in both body and presence. I couldn’t see his face, and it seemed he didn’t notice me. Which meant I could win.

I did the hands signs that were drilled into me. My birthright as an Uchiha. I took a deep breath, rocked my head back, and shot forward. Fire Style: Great Fire Ball Jutsu! A large flame bloomed from my mouth, engulfing the man burning bright until all that was left was a charred sidewalk.

“I… hah… I did it!”

“You did what exactly?” The voice came from beside me.

I turned to see an orange and black striped mask. It covered his face but revealed a single red eye. He had a Sharingan! A glint of light refracted from his sleeve. I panicked, unable to move.

“Don’t you dare touch him!” My sister roared, disappearing from the roof of our home. The force of her blink caused it to cave in on itself.

She sent me flying with a kick. Pain erupted from my stomach as I landed in front of my home, now rubble. I wanted to close my eyes and wake up from this nightmare, but I heard her scream once more, snapping me back into reality.

“Get out of here Yuki!” My eyes shot open, and my sister stood still with her katana coated in a black flame. It was dug into the man, but he seemed unfazed. “I’ll take care of him and join you soon, ok.”

I understood what she meant. I didn’t have time to hold her back. Whoever that man was, he could stop an attack from the Shinigami Uchiha. I would only get her way, and I knew my sister. She would never lose. I struggled to my feet in pain, but it was nothing compared to the pain she must be feeling.

“I’ll go get help. So don’t beat him before then. Everyone should get to see how cool you are.” I smiled even though my face was wet. I stumbled forward then broke into a sprint.

“I think not.” The Masked Man threw shuriken at me.

My eyes widened. There were too many to dodge, and I had no chakra left to burn them away. I crossed my arms to shield myself.

“Death Style: Sweet Embrace Jutsu!”

A body in the image of my mother: Rin Uchiha, appeared before me, covered in a black flame. It wrapped its arms around me. Shielding me from the deadly weapons. I stared in horror as it seemed to bleed. Its mouth moved, and out came the words in a whisper.

“Everything will be ok.” It said. “I’m sorry.” It continued repeating those words over and over as if it were trying to soothe me.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but as the black fire washed over my body, I didn’t say a word. I didn’t burn, nor did the flames scorch my body; instead, it was warm as if I was getting a hug for the first and last time.

“Your five minutes are up. Now die!” Those were the last words I heard before an explosion of black fire erupted from my sister: Yukino Uchiha.

I could barely see it. I was sure the silhouette of my mother was trying to shield my eyes from it all. Though, after a while, the figure crumbled, and I felt energized for some reason. Only to collapse on my knees crying as I stared at the crater where my sister used to be.

“Yukino! Mom! Dad! Anyone!” I cried out for an answer, and surprisingly, I got one. From someone who should have been dead.

A ripple in space above the crater opened. The man’s mask was cracked, and his cloak had some scorch marks but other than that, he looked fine.

“To think she timed me perfectly.” He started to laugh. “But only fools sacrificed themselves.”

Hearing him mock her made something come over me. To know she died for nothing brimmed my hatred to a boiling point. The love I felt for my family and my hate for him intermingled, blown like a fan, I felt a whirlwind of chakra surge from within me. A torrent of violet-colored chakra.

No, she didn’t die for nothing. I refuse to believe that! I noticed the black specks that tainted my chakra flow and realized that wasn’t mine. A slight tap of joy filled my heart. The chakra she gave me. I won’t waste it!

My eyes were clear for the first time since I had entered this hell. That Masked Man would pay. That traitor!

Wind Style: Swiftness. My body felt lighter as wind blew around my feet. Earth style: Sediment Post. A small rock formation in the form of a kunai grew from the ground and fell into my hand. I hadn’t mastered it, and I only knew a bit from what my sister taught me from her sensei, but I didn’t care. I did the hand signs, and pain surged within my arm, tingling my nerves as if I was being pricked by a thousand needles.

“Lighting Style: Lighting Blade.” A blue static conducted around the kunai as it was made of metal.

“Oh.” The Masked man stared at me; his eye narrowed. He didn’t move from his spot, probably underestimating me.

Good. I needed him to if this was going to work. I ran at him as fast as my little body could, kicking up dirt and debris, using the wind to propel myself forward. I leaped at him with the lightning-coated rock kunai. He simply stepped back and dodged the blade with ease.

“Is that all?” His cloaked hand reached out for me.

I ignored him and let go of my kunai midair, doing the hand signs.

“Water Style: Water Spitter Jutsu!”

I spat out a stream of water at the rock. The lightning charge that combined with the water charge overloaded the rock kunai and blew it up into shards. The broken stones sliced through my skin, but they also cut through him. A piece of his mask came off. I grabbed it and kicked off his face flying through the air. My sister had mouthed me something before she blew herself up.

“Live on. Little brother.” She said.

It was why I planned to get away, but not without sending a message. I looked at the shard of his mask in my hand, then glanced over my shoulder. The masked man covered his face and vanished into a ripple of space. That Sharingan of his, those three daggers in his eyes. I’ll never forget them.

2

I ended up crashing down in the middle of one of the walkways, where I heard another familiar voice.

“When you have the same eyes as I do. Come stand before me.”

It sounded like Itachi. Was he a part of this too? I struggled to lift my body up as I tried to push my hands against the ground. My hands, covered in cuts and blood, where just an hour earlier; they were innocent. As I stared at them, I collapsed onto the ground. Whatever was left of that black chakra faded along with my purple chakra.

Thud!

Next to me, a body dropped, followed by the sound of someone convulsing. He screamed out, and I recognized his voice. I needed to move, but my legs wouldn’t let me. I clawed at the ground dragging myself forward, one eye open, trying to reach him, but all I could do was watch as Sasuke panicked.

He screamed for Itachi. Then he screamed for his mom and dad. Then he just stopped screaming altogether, his voice muted as he seemed to claw at his eyes.

“Sas…. ke…” I struggled to let my voice out as I couldn’t crawl anymore. My vision blurred as I was starting to lose consciousness. I’m sorry.

“So, he let you live. Interesting.” Hearing that voice, I struggled to see his face one last time. Itachi stared me down, his red eyes of three spiraling daggers merged together. He had a Mangekyō Sharingan just like my sister. Tears welled in my eyes as He turned away from me and dispersed into crows. Leaving me with the words.

“Take care of him for me.”