Bonus Chapters at 100 power stones.
Sasuke followed silently behind Yami as they walked deeper into the old Uchiha district. Even after seeing him with his own eyes, Sasuke still struggled to accept that Yami, someone he thought long dead, was walking right in front of him. The questions were crawling up his throat, but none of them found the courage to leave his mouth.
Once they reached the deserted streets, Yami stopped, turned, and let his Sharingan spin open. Three tomoe gliding slowly, deliberately. In response, Sasuke activated his own Sharingan.
"Sasuke," he said quietly, "tell me what you saw the night Itachi killed the clan."
"That day…" Sasuke's fist tightened involuntarily. Even hearing the name made his stomach twist. He looked away from Yami's gaze.
Yami didn't let up.
"Itachi graduated at seven. Chūnin at ten. Joined ANBU at eleven. And at thirteen… he pointed his blade at the clan." His voice was calm, but every word carried weight. "Sasuke, do you really think you can take revenge in your current state?"
"I can!" Sasuke snapped, raising his head. This time, the certainty didn't tremble.
Yami exhaled softly. "You can't even stabilize your one tomoe, let alone produce two. Don't fool yourself."
"You!" Sasuke's fury broke through. His hands twitched like he was about to form a seal.
Yami stepped forward. The motion was so fast that even Sasuke's Sharingan failed to track it. Sasuke's wrist was caught instantly.
"You think I won't hurt you, so you let anger do your thinking?" Yami tilted his head slightly. "The first rule for a shinobi: feel anger if you must… but don't lose your mind to it. That's how you die."
He released Sasuke and walked ahead.
Sasuke stared at his back. His own anger simmered… but slowly cooled. Then, with a frustrated exhale, he followed.
When they reached the burial grounds, Sasuke froze. He had expected something small. Something symbolic. Not… this.
Hundreds of stone markers, plain, uncarved, lined the empty lot.
Yami walked ahead, knelt before a tombstone, and spoke softly.
"You only ever visited your parents' graves. You never came here… right?"
Sasuke didn't respond. He didn't need to.
"These," Yami continued, gesturing around them, "are the graves of ordinary clan members. Do you know how many?"
Sasuke swallowed. He didn't dare guess.
"1,257," Yami said quietly. "I counted them one by one last night."
Sasuke's breath hitched.
"Aunt Kanami, Uncle Hase, old man Chijirō…" Yami's voice softened. "They're all gone now."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He had forgotten those names. They used to greet him when he walked home from school. He never imagined Yami would remember so many.
"The ANBU buried them," Yami added. "They didn't even know their names. Not a single stone here has one."
Sasuke looked around again, suddenly feeling very small.
"Sasuke," Yami asked quietly, "did you personally witness Itachi kill anyone?"
"I…" Sasuke pressed a hand to his forehead. "I came home late. When I reached the district, there were bodies everywhere, signs of fighting. I just… wanted to get home."
He swallowed.
"When I reached the house, my parents were already lying in a pool of blood. And Itachi. He stood there holding a blood-covered sword."
His voice cracked.
"I didn't see him kill them with my own eyes. But… he looked at me. He used his Sharingan. In the Genjutsu… I saw him kill them. Mom and dad…"
The memory made Sasuke's knees weaken.
"I ran. I didn't even try to fight him."
"And he didn't kill you?" Yami asked.
"No." Sasuke looked down. "He said… I wouldn't come near him until I had eyes like his."
Remembering all the painful details of that haunting night had been too much for Sasuke to handle. His knees gave away as he began losing his consciousness from the sheer mental exhaustion of the memory. Before his body could touch the cold, hard ground, Yami had already moved to catch Sasuke's unconscious body.
Yami fell silent. His Sharingan spun once more.
'Itachi leaving Sasuke alive… The scale of the massacre… The silence from Konoha…'
Too many pieces didn't fit.
. . . . . . . . . .
Sasuke slowly opened his eyes again. He was lying on an unfamiliar bed beneath an unfamiliar ceiling.
Before panic settled, a voice called from the doorway.
"Awake?"
Sasuke turned. Yami stood leaning casually against the frame, arms folded.
"Don't stare like that," Yami said dryly. "You're fine."
Sasuke opened his mouth, closed it, then nodded stiffly.
"There's food on the table," Yami continued. "Eat first. Then meet me at the training ground."
He left without waiting for a reply.
Sasuke stared at the warm dishes set out carefully. He didn't sit right away. The quiet room made him think of his mother's cooking, of evenings he thought would last forever.
After a long moment, he exhaled and ate silently.
. . . . . . . . . .
When Sasuke arrived at the training ground, Yami stood waiting, arms crossed.
"Let me ask you something," Yami began. "What do you think is the most important thing for a shinobi?"
Sasuke answered without thinking. "Strong jutsu."
"No." Yami shook his head. "Not if you want to become Chūnin. The most important thing is information. Any jutsu can be countered. And if you know everything about your enemy, how he fights, how he thinks, defeating him becomes simple."
Sasuke's eyes widened a little.
"Yes," Yami said mildly, "I mean Itachi."
Sasuke didn't shout this time, but his fingers trembled slightly.
"Another thing," Yami continued. "A shinobi must hide his own information. You might think a technique is your trump card… but once your enemy knows it, it's no longer a trump card."
He gave Sasuke a pointed look. "Your teacher Kakashi is excellent at this. You? Not so much."
Before Sasuke could retort, Yami bit his thumb and smeared blood across his left forearm.
"Seal… release."
With a burst of smoke, a slender sword appeared in his hand.
Yami pointed the blade forward. "Enough talking. Let's see what you can figure out about me in a fight."
Sasuke hesitated. "Are you… really fighting me?"
"I'll limit myself to Chūnin level." Yami rolled his wrist to loosen the blade. "Otherwise you'd die in two seconds."
"…Thanks for the encouragement," Sasuke muttered dryly.
"Don't mention it." Yami smirked. "If your performance disappoints me, I won't let you take the Chūnin Exam. I refuse to let an Uchiha embarrass the clan."
Sasuke tightened his grip on his kunai, Sharingan flickering to life.
"Fine," he said. "Then I'll show you I'm ready."
"Good," Yami said, stepping lightly into stance. "Come."
The first test had begun.
- End of Chapter 6 -
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