Chapter 4

I shifted nervously in my seat as Inoichi made his way into the room. Higaru gave a slight nod to the blonde haired man as he exited and I felt myself longing for the Hyuuga to stay. If the Yamanaka entered my mind, there is no way he would not discover my past or knowledge of this world. I’d be locked up or worse. The thought of being dissected on a table did not appeal to me in the slightest.

“Do not worry, Sasuke. This is just a psychological evaluation. I’m not going to try to enter your mind,” the man’s voice was comforting and I turned my gaze to observe him. I felt a bit of my fear abate though I was still wary. Sasuke’s mind supplied memories of a blonde haired girl in class who had always been quite kind to others. Ino Yamanaka. Though Sasuke’s interactions with her had been limited, he had noticed her kindness to other kids in class. I paused. That did not match the mental image of the bossy twelve year old Ino from the anime who had an entirely annoying rivalry with Sakura. I guess people change quickly at this age.

Focus. I was going on a tangent again.

“You do not have permission to enter my mind,” I stated firmly at Inoichi, who gave a nod. The man was dressed in simple clothes and a jounin vest with his blonde hair tied high into a pony tail.

“This will only be a series of questions to make sure you’re fit to be discharged, no need for any invasive procedure,” he said seriously and I sighed. My secret was safe for now, but I still felt somewhat anxious over this meeting. What would it reveal about me? I felt my foot begin to tap the metal leg of the bed nervously.

"Sasuke," his voice was kind and blue eyes were squinted in a smile, "You are a citizen of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I will protect you with my life. You don't have to worry. We don't use our jutsu on our comrades unless it's absolutely necessary."

I nodded, feeling more of my nervousness abate, and we got started. The next few minutes were a series of basic questions.

"How do you feel?"

"Do you have any thoughts of hurting yourself?"

Etc.

As we spoke I made certain to observe the man and, annoyingly, I couldn’t really get a read on him to determine how my responses were being received. Inoichi's expressions were carefully chosen and designed to make me feel at ease. A small smile rested on his face and his legs were crossed with a small white notebook resting upon his knee. He lightly tapped a pen against the top of the notepad in a relaxed and casual manner. I felt my eyes widen ever so slightly and glanced down at my foot. It had begun to match the speed of his casual tapping. I internally chuckled. During some of our crises intervention trainings, it was a basic psychological technique to mimic such anxious movements with a similar one and then slowly decrease the speed. Often, the target of the technique would subconsciously begin to match the speed you were giving off. It was useful in calming down a student who was in a state of emotional crisis.

I stopped tapping my foot and noticed Inoichi's eyes widen ever so slightly and a small smirk crossed his face. He wrote something on the notepad and I frowned. The sooner I was out of the hospital the better. I was under too much scrutiny and giving off too many yellow flags.

Then the questions shifted.

“What are your feelings towards Itachi?”

Rage. Anger. Love. I felt chakra shoot towards my eyes but I clamped down on the flow quickly before it could activate my sharingan. I had been careful about revealing that knowledge to others and did not wish for Inoichi, and by proxy the Hokage, to know I had awakened by Kekkai Genkai just yet.

“I’m going to kill him,” I said simply. The truth of why he had killed the clan did not absolve him of his crimes. Itachi Uchiha would die by my hands and justice for the innocents of my clan would be found. I saw Inoichi's face flinch slightly and he said softly,

"You don't have to do that, Sasuke. The Hokage has ANBU hunters chasing Itachi. They will take him down."

I stared at him impassively. The words were said as a means of comfort, but I could tell that he did not believe the words he was saying. He knew as well as I did that Itachi was far beyond the skill of mere ANBU. It would take someone on par with the Hokage to take down my brother. I leaned back against the bed and said softly,

"You don't believe that."

Inoichi tilted his head and I could tell he was not quite sure how to respond to that statement. I shook my head and said, "It has to be me. I'm the only one left with the capacity to awaken the sharingan and face Itachi. Anyone else will just be getting themselves killed. The Hokage should just call off any ANBU. They won't stand a chance."

The Yamanaka's lips pursed and he made another note his pad. He gave me a smile, "Well, I think that wraps it up. I'll be sure to recommend to the medics that you be discharged. And Sasuke..." he paused for a moment before looking at me seriously, "If you ever have anything you need, don't hesitate to reach out. I meant what I said, you are a fellow citizen of Konoha; however, I can help, just let me know."

"I..." I tilted my head at the man. The expression on his face was one of genuine concern, "I will. Thank you, Mister Yamanaka."

The man gave a nod and turned to leave. I sighed. Alone at last. Questions ran through my mind. Grief and pain in a tangled mess. I meant what I had said to Inoichi. I would kill Itachi; that said, I already knew I would not walk the path of canon Sasuke. Of the villages in the show, Konoha was easily the village with the highest ethical standards and commitment to doing the right thing. They cared for their comrades and the Will of Fire burned strong. I could get behind such a philosophy. Besides, Naruto would need my help.

It was still early in the day and so I turned to the stack of books on the counter of my bed and began to read again.

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I stood at the entrance to my clan compound and stared at the Uchiha Clan symbol emblazoned at the top of the arch. I felt a pang of grief and heard the words of my father, “The Uchiha Clan is the breath that fans the flames of the village.”

Though I was the only one left, I could feel the weight of those words. As the last loyal Uchiha, I would nurture the Will of Fire that suffused this village and protect my home. I chuckled to myself. Such grandiose ideals and ideologies but I had already decided I would not walk the path of hatred and Konoha’s Will of Fire was beautiful in its own way.

I stepped through the arch with a determined expression on my face. This was my home. I walked through silent streets and grit my teeth as memories filtered through. The dead bodies of cousins and aunts and uncles flashed before my eyes, but I shoved the memories away. I would grieve them in my own way, but I could not be paralyzed by memories.

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As I walked, the silence gave way to the sound of hammers and men yelling. I frowned. Was the construction already underway? I turned the corner onto the road leading to my home and was surprised to see a group of men already hard at work on the buildings next to my house. There were piles of lumber and I saw several of the men standing near a table with what looked to be blueprints.

My eyes looked past the men to the entrance of my home. I shuddered. The last time I had been here...no. I turned my gaze from it to a more familiar figure. Sunak Yeltori stood several yards away from the construction with his arms crossed and eyes focused on supervising the workers. As he saw me, a brilliant smile appeared on his face, “Ah! Young Master Uchiha, it is good to see you outside of the hospital at last! Truly this is an auspicious day!”

I found that I could not focus on the bad memories in the face of the Estate Manager’s exuberance and found myself letting out a small laugh. I brushed a lock of black hair from my face, I still had yet to get a haircut, and asked, “How goes the renovation?”

"Quite well, the men should be finishing up the library by tomorrow and starting on the armory on Sunday. Additionally, the genin teams assigned to cleaning the compound have consolidated all of your family's scrolls and weapons and the items should be ready to be moved into these new buildings shortly after they're finished." Here Sunak paused and gave me a sly glance, "I've also made sure each of these genin are aware of the consequences of stealing from your estate."

"Ah," I nodded, "I suppose there are laws protecting my property."

Sunak smirked, "While you are correct, my warnings I feel were more effective than mere laws. A few mentions of ghostly Uchiha haunting and cursing those who would steal from their family was a bit more effective in having those genin shaking in their boots."

I felt a smirk cross my face. Sunak apparently had a cruel sense of humor.

"Thank you for that, Sunak," I said gratefully, "Well, I'm heading to my house...I'll be there if you need anything."

The Estate Manager gave a nod and I walked past with a determined expression on my face. I could feel his eyes and the eyes of several of the workers on my back as I approached the entrance to my home. I paused at the entrance and could feel the memories wash over me. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I would not let this define my life. I could be so much more than the Last Uchiha. With a smile, I faced the nightmare and opened my eyes.

It was odd. Odd to be in a place that felt so much like home despite the fact I had never been here. I pondered this. Why was it that I felt so much more like the person who had died than Sasuke Uchiha. It was his body and life after all. I pursed my lips, perhaps it was simply the weight of a life lived? I had been nearly thirty when I died. The weight of my memories and personality seemed to outweigh the life of this young boy. It was somewhat depressing and I wondered not for the first time what had caused this transmigration; still, I would rather this than oblivion.

I shook myself and made my way through my home. I was determined that I would one day fill this place with new good memories, but for now, I would remember every moment I had had with my family before Itachi took it all away. The sound of construction broke me from my thoughts and I laughed. Despite tragedy, life moved on.

I spent the rest of the day organizing my home. I could not bare to bring myself to enter my parent's room just yet, but I cleaned the kitchen and living room. I smiled sadly. This was a large home for a single bachelor, much less a boy of eight. Still, I would take care of myself and perhaps one day my future family would live here. The thought caused me pause. A future family meant marriage and children. I frowned. It would be awkward to end up in a relationship with any of the kids my own age considering the emotional maturity different. And honestly, the thought kind of squicked me out. And it was unlikely any of the older kunoichi in the village would take me seriously. I shook my head. Such thoughts were not worth having at this point. I chuckled and began to sing a song as I cleaned and organized,

"My Mama said "You can't hurry love

No, you'll just have to wait."

She said, "Love don't come easy

well it's a game of give and take."

You can't hurry love

No, You'll just have to wait.

Just trust in the good times

No matter how long it takes.

-Phil Collins

I finished my cleaning and looked out the window to see the sun setting. I felt a bit of sadness as I continued the hum the tune. I missed my iphone. It was unlikely I'd ever hear the glorious voice of Phil Collins again in this life. That was depressing. I shook my head. It would be dark soon and time to fulfill something that had weighed heavy on my mind.

I made myself a small sandwich, courtesy of the groceries some of the genin had dropped off, and waited for darkness. I wasn't sure why, but I knew that it was best to visit where I was going at night. I gathered up my things as it got darker and made my way out of my home. The construction workers had long since headed home and the compound was silent save for the sound of crickets.

Blood splattering the ground.

A red moon.

I blinked and took a deep breath. No. Enough. I would get past this. I pushed the memories aside and forced myself to keep walking. I made my way through the empty streets and forced myself to remember the good times. Itachi carrying me down the streets. Aunt Teuchi giving me a delicious tomato. Cousin Aiko teasing her brother Sora and both of them laughing as they pinched my cheeks. The way to push back the darkness was with light and I was determined to be a source of that in this dark world.

I soon reached my destination, The Nakano Shrine of the Uchiha, and stared up the steps that would lead to the temple; here, Sasuke's memories supplied my mind with knowledge I had either forgotten or simply was never covered in the anime. The religion this land followed was close to the Shinto religion of Japan. Essentially a polytheistic religion, Shintoists believe that there are Kami, or patron gods, who reside in all things. For the Uchiha Clan, the patron gods of their clan were three goddesses who had acted as guardians against the evils of the spiritual realm. Naturally, the three goddesses were Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, and Susanoo. There was also a deity the Uchiha constantly prayed against, the deity called Izanagi, who tempted the Uchiha with disturbing the natural order. I supposed such made sense considering that the abilities of the Mangekyou were named after these deities.

As I walked up the steps to the shrine, I found my thoughts wondering back to my previous life. I had been an agnostic in my previous life, believing that our current reality could not prove definitively one way or another that a deity or the supernatural existed. As I walked towards the shrine, I felt myself less sure of that stance considering that I had found my soul transmigrated into a fictional world. That disproved that the supernatural did not exist; as for gods...I found myself staring at the altar in the center of the room as I entered. Well...maybe I should consider a Pascal's Wager in this setting. Pascal's Wager being that it's better to bet that a god exists and do what they say and find out they don't exist than to bet that they don't and then find out they did. In my previous life, I hadn't found it an especially powerful argument, but here in this life where spiritual energy was an actual thing and resurrection was possible...

I stood before the altar and, with a few quick handsigns, breathed out a small stream of fire onto the altar. A memory, one of the good ones passed before my eyes.

Sasuke stood in the center of the room. His cheeks were scuffed with burn marks, but a brilliant smile rested upon his face. The room was filled with numerous clan members and the old priest Batu stood before him. He had earned the right to be called a full member of the clan with his mastery of the Great Fireball Jutsu.

"Today, we recognize Sasuke Uchiha as a full member of the clan. Who speaks for him?"

Batu's voice resounded throughout the room and Sasuke felt himself shiver. The eyes of the whole clan were on him.

"I speak for him!"

Fugaku's voice rang out, solid and strong, as he placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. There was pride in his father's voice and his grip was strong. Sasuke felt safe and confident.

"Very well then. You have been spoken for and claimed. Sasuke Uchiha, will you light the fire to the Deities Three."

Sasuke nodded and stood forward, breathing fire upon the wood. A smile upon his face.

I shook my head from the memory. A smile still remained on my face. Father. Mother. I'll keep the flames burning. With another shake of my head, I turned to the tatami mat that I knew would lead to the secret meeting place of my clan. I walked over and shifted the mat, revealing stairs leading downwards. I sighed. Time to read what was written.

I descended into the darkness, a torch in my hand lit from the fire upon the altar, and soon I was in a much smaller and cramped room. There was a stone tablet at the far wall beneath the Uchiha Fan. I swallowed hard and approached. The stone tablet was smooth with no words engraved upon it's stone. I nodded. I had expected such. I let the sharingan bleed into my eyes and words appeared. I read slowly, letting the sharingan burn the history into my mind.

"So that's how it is," I sighed and stared at the ceiling, "Fuck you, Itachi."

-End Chapter