Fate Wheel | Naruto

𝟕𝟖| Catacombs

"There is no value in killing the likes of you... Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, then hate me, detest me, curse me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to your pitiful life."
— Itachi Uchiha

───※ ·❆· ※───

ITACHI

"A prodigy among our ranks. Witnessed the violence of war at the ripe age of four. Endured Uchiha resentment which caused them to be relocated to the edge of the Village. Joined the academy at age six and graduated four months later as the youngest post-war graduate. At age ten he passed the Chunin exams and not only a year later, did he become an Anbu."

He was falling. He had been falling for a long time. The wind, similar to grappling hooks, sucked the air out of his stomach and made him feel inferior to the overwhelming pressure he felt. The pressure in his lungs, in his eyes, in his head— it was foggy, a mist that not only made it harder to see but it also acted as a veil over his memories.

What was he trying to remember? Many things. Important things. Things worth not forgetting. Things that could change everything.

Did the coup already occur? Itachi wondered, staring frighteningly at the image of his best friend, blood draining from the empty sockets of his eyes and a smile that spoke of the many regrets Shisui Uchiha had as well as the words he wanted to desperately say. Instead, he smiled and plummeted to his untimely death. Only that he didn't. Shisui was alive. Danzo didn't take his eyes, he was able to perform the kotoamatsukami in order to save his Clan and restore the damaged relations with the Leaf.

He was glad, wasn't he? Itachi despised war. He knew if the coup occurred, it would lead to foreign interventions, he'd have to witness everything that unfolded beyond his four year old eyes once again— only that he had a choice to make a change, even if that change ruined his life and his future.

He was willing to sacrifice everything, wasn't he?

Only that he didn't have to. The Uchiha were alive, his family alive and unaware of the tragedies that were on the verge of spilling and creating a waterfall of chaos. If so, why was it that he had these memories. Memories of succumbing to the guilt of killing his family, blood staining his hands- his mother and father's blood staining his hands, years awaiting an impeding doom, doomed to die by the hands of his brother, the very brother who left the Village he loved in order to pursue his revenge and hatred, hatred that rooted from his betrayal and selflessness and loyalty towards the Leaf.

Such memories wavered his loyalty, making him wonder that if history repeated itself once again— would he be forced to make a sacrifice? Would he be willing to sacrifice everything again, regardless if those memories were a manifestation of the pressure and stress of growing up too quickly?

For some reason, when he thought of sacrifice, he thought of his brother. Sasuke.

He was willing to sacrifice everything for Sasuke, he knew that deep down in his heart. He also knew that Sasuke resented him for many reasons. Sasuke resented him for erasing himself out of his childhood, for not being the big brother he vowed to be, for neglecting him when he needed him the most, for making excuses, for ignoring him, for not understanding the pressures placed on him, the expectations passed down to him like a family heirloom. Only that, Itachi knew everything about expectations, he also knew everything about control as well— what being in control meant. Something that he knew he lacked.