━━━━ uchiha sasuke.
this is a tale sung by the ancient trees of a hidden little town and an epic told by the whispers of the leaves surrounding the village, wherein a vengeful lost boy of barbaric dreams stumbles upon a sea of blood-red death flower...
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Uchiha Sasuke was six when he first saw the hidden princess of the red-spider lilies.
It was a fair day in Konohagakure, almost like the heavens set this very core memory to be bathed in ideal sunshine.
With the absence of his big brother due to an urgent responsibility that should be fulfilled, Sasuke was left pouting in the middle of the Uchiha clan's training grounds, kunai in hand and target practices settled in front of him. It was always like this these days — his brother poking him on the forehead as a way of saying a momentary goodbye before leaving for a mission that would take weeks. He knew that his big brother was a strong shinobi (he was even his idol!) but that didn't mean he was going to spend training alone when he was promised sessions after sessions by his brother. Sasuke should have extended his pinky to seal the promise just like his mother always did to make him behave. Now, he didn't have the urge to train to become stronger like his brother.
"It's not fair," he mumbled underneath the skin of his forearms. Sasuke was sitting on his haunches on the training ground, head buried in his arms and hair poking through all directions. "He was supposed to train with me and teach me new jutsu."
The training grounds didn't look like the glimmering haven he always viewed it as. It has been only a week since his big brother set off on another mission and it was crystal clear that Sasuke missed him and the smile that was meant to be painted directly on his face. Of course, he would never admit to that. His big brother would always know nonetheless. Sasuke didn't need to voice out how much he wished for him to come back home earlier than expected for him to know. His big brother was awesome like that. It was like he had this separate sense purely for Sasuke.
"You know what?" Sasuke asked no one. He was a little boy set on a mission of his own. He stood up from the ground and clenched his tiny fists at his side. "I'm going to do some exploring!"
And with a goal in mind, Sasuke fled from the training field and aimlessly walked away from the Uchiha compound and out of their gates. People greeted him as he passed by, distant cousins and relatives who asked where he was going on such a nice day. He heard them gush over how adorable he was with that angry face he got on — making him look more like the leader of their clan despite the softer features he inherited from his mother, with them saying along the lines of Sasuke being his stoic father's son. Some kind grandmas even offered him a small bag of fruits and snacks for his little adventure. They knew he wouldn't stray that far from their compound anyway. His mother made sure to tell him to never do so when he wanted to get out of their little village — pinky promises coming to play.
Munching on the delicious onigiri in his hand, Sasuke walked through Konohagakure. He didn't have any destination. For a child of six years, boredom tended to push you into something until you got lost. But a child's curiosity was another one that shouldn't be wavered. He was enjoying his stroll without his big brother, heartily starting a second onigiri, and avoiding girls around his age who thought he looked nice ... until he found himself in a forest that wasn't part of the Uchiha compound.
