"W-what?! He's dead?" Mina whispered in disbelief. Itachi frowned and nodded solemnly. He was confused as to why she didn't remember him telling her but didn't question it. He also didn't like to remember that the little brother he fought so hard for was deceased.
"Yes. He and his comrade, Haruno Sakura, sacrificed themselves to help end the Fourth Shinobi War, remember? You also mentioned someone named Sarada?" They weren't sure if they sacrificed themselves as they were found randomly dead, but Kakashi and Naruto had wanted to give their teammates and friends the status of heroes...especially Sasuke. The villagers would've likely been happy for his death as he betrayed the leaf, however, every time the man walked to his grave, he saw flowers and thank you notes. That warmed his tired soul.
"Wasn't that the name of your imaginary friend you had when you were younger? You called her your sister. It was cute, but I thought you outgrew that?" Aneko added with concern and held her daughter's hand over the table. Mina gasped as tears filled her eyes. She was so incredibly hopeful when she saw her parents alive and well, but to trade them for the ones who raised her...she didn't think she could bear that.
"W-what..." she mumbled and cried out, voice cracking, "MAMA, PAPA, SARADA!"
*******
"Mina-chan~" A sudden pinch to her arm jolted her awake and as she looked up, instead of seeing the table with her parents, she saw that man. The girl flinched away from his his malicious smirk, only to find that her arms and legs were tied in a way that kept her upright and as she observed her surroundings, she noticed the area around her was a cold seemingly underground bunker of sorts, but the metal table nearby made her nervous. It reminded her of the ones that creepy doctors used in those horror films she occasionally watched with Mirai.
"Looks like your dream scared you, haha! The great Uchiha, afraid of a little dream!" Her teeth gritted together as he mocked her, yet she couldn't help but feel some relief that a dream was all it was. They may have been her birth parents, but Sasuke and Sakura were the ones who raised her to be strong, and though she longed to meet the little brother she never had, she wouldn't sacrifice her little sister to do so.
"So, little Uchiha, your words from last time got me thinking, and the more I thought, the more I realized how strong and cool you are- well were, so on a mission, I found this secret base just left laying around and even some scrolls on forbidden techniques."
Mina's gaze landed on an orange mask lying in the corner as he spoke. A single hole left glaring back at her, yet she didn't feel scared, though the crack in it made her uneasy. "So, I came here very often and of course, when my dear Suna comrades found out, they told the Kazekage. That bastard even tried to sympathize with me, guess he didn't realize I was even stronger than him! I fled Suna and came here. Where they will never. find. you." Mina frowned as she recalled the words Sasuke had said a week or so ago.
"There was a ninja that went rogue and was causing trouble. That's all I can tell you. You don't need to worry about it."
Was he that rogue they were looking for? She knew that Konoha and Suna were close allies, so it wouldn't be unusual if a Leaf shinobi was sent to help find and take down a rogue sand ninja, especially one as powerful as the...thing in front of her. Mina didn't get a chance to ponder as he continued speaking his story like every other cliche villain-
"Turns out one of the scrolls left behind had information on a seal mark and the Uchiha clan and you know who you get to thank for that, dear Mina-chan? Orochimaru!" Mina sighed. Somehow, she wasn't surprised. She had met him and his two sons personally time and time again. Though the information didn't startle her, that didn't mean she wasn't pissed. That damn snake should've disposed of the scroll properly if he wasn't planning on using it anymore.
"So, I got to work creating my own curse seal and now I have a lot of power-"
"What did you have to give up?" Interrupted from his rambling, he turned to her with a questioning and an underlying threatening expression.
"Whatever do you mean, my dear?" She cringed but didn't back down like her gut was telling her to. She may've been scared, but Uchiha Minako was no coward.
"Power always requires you to get rid of something in return."
"I didn't get rid of anything!" Roku's voice became irritated as he unconsciously got in her face. Mina swallowed a bit harshly but continued despite how dry her throat felt.
"I think... I think you lost your sanity."
𝑺𝑳𝑨𝑷
.
.
.
A loud echo rang out through the room and the entire base as her head snapped to the right. Tears pricked in her eyes as her cheek stung, turning purple and bruised. It hurt so much that Mina was worried that he might have cracked her cheekbone. She glanced through the blurriness that the tears caused to see Roku clutching his head with an almost panicked expression.
"Ah, look what you made me do! I lost my composure. Well, that'll teach you to cooperate." Roku straight up once more and faced the girl, his crazed grin returning as he rubbed the skin beside her eye. Her cheek stung as his finger gazed over the top of the bruise that formed near the corner of her eyelid. "You have such beautiful eyes, Mina-chan." He stated, almost sincerely as he stepped back. Any other time she may have accepted the compliment, but not this time. Definitely not this time.
"Dear Mina, my plan is simple and you are so crucial for it. So be a good girl and lay back." Her dark purple eyes shrunk as she gasped in horror when he held up a jar. His crazed grin stretched, engulfing his lower face with its sharp claws.
"Don't worry, Little Mina. I'll be gentle..."
********
Author-chan's Fun Fact: Was that a dream that Mina experienced or did she somehow hop realities? Author-chan is leaving it up to reader-chan's interpretation.
A/N: I'm sorry, you guys...I left ya on another cliffhanger lol. This Act is a hanger city ig, however, I assure you that this will be the last major cliffhanger of the story and as an apology, I'm working on a drawing for next week's update :)...I hope you all enjoyed this part and just a heads up, next week's update will dabble in slightly dark themes, but I will put a warning. Pls vote, comment, share, etc.
Love ya guys and thanks for toughing out all these cliffhangers LOL, promise it'll be worth it~!
-Lily <3
Q: If you could be with any anime character (thru marriage or non-romantic partnership), who would you choose?
A: Either Fuegoleon Vermillion from Black Clover (he'd be suchhhh a good husband omg), or bby Yuta from Jujutsu Kaisen 🥲. I honestly can't ever pick just one answer for these questions lol.
Published: 08/20/2023
Word Count: 1,202
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Symphony of The Fallen Crow {Itachi's daughter Story}
Fanfiction"Did you only take care of me to repay him?" She whispered with a disheartened undertone. "At first I did, b-but I grew to love you as my niece, but more importantly, as my daughter. I love you like you're my own daughter." Her midnight locks flew a...
