Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Curse time travel
The blood never left his hands.
"I killed them to gain power, Sasuke. Listen, in order to awaken your eye's power, you must kill your best friend!" Itachi stared down at his little brother's body, the dead bodies of their kin sprawled around him. The massacre he had just committed painted the room in blood. Shisui was gone, so they couldn’t use the backup plan.
Father, Mother, and the clan had moved forward with the coup d’état too quickly.
"I hate how weak you are, Sasuke."
A lie.
A bitter lie.
Sasuke was far stronger. To witness such a horrible massacre and still stand there—
Itachi looked at his brother through his blood-soaked ANBU mask. His Sharingan blazed and spun, releasing a sliver of killer intent toward Sasuke.
Sasuke looked at him. So tiny.
His dear little brother.
"Do you know I killed Shisui?" Itachi asked, voice void of emotion.
Sasuke stared back at him, stoic, a sad smile on his lips. Sasuke loved his uncle Shisui. That will send him to the edge, and probably make him hate him more. Hopefully but so far Sasuke didn't even budge.
Another lie.
He lied too much, didn’t he?
He had taken the blame for Shisui's death, hoping it would make Sasuke stronger. He had no choice. The only way to ensure the village let Sasuke live was to slaughter the entire Uchiha clan.
Sasuke would never know the truth. He would only see him as a murderer, a monster. Everyone would see him that way.
The deal was kept secret between him, the Hokage, and Danzo.
Itachi suppressed a shudder. He hated the lies he was spouting. He hated hurting Sasuke. But it was the only way to save him. He finished his villainous monologue with icy resolve:
"Hate me. Find me, hate me, and kill me!"
But Sasuke didn’t cry. He didn’t hate him. Instead, he looked at him with a sad, understanding smile.
A smile is far too wise for a child.
His eyes—empty and haunting—looked back at Itachi.
What was wrong with Sasuke? The seven-year-old boy stared at him with eyes that had seen war, that had seen far more than any child his age should have seen.
"I'm sorry you had to carry such burdens," Sasuke said softly. "Let me help fix things for you..."
Something dark coiled around Itachi’s body. Something vile and evil. And then—
The world spun.
When Itachi opened his eyes, he was in his five-year-old body, standing before his father. Fugaku held out a kunai to him.
“This is war,” Fugaku said coldly. “You are a Uchiha. You will face many challenges and enemies. You must be strong.”
Itachi blinked. He remembered this. It was the first time his father had shown him war.
But that had been over ten years ago. Was he... having a flashback?
Fugaku’s green vest caught the sunlight, and his expression was as stern as ever. Itachi remembered Shisui once telling him that, when a person dies, their life flashes before their eyes.
Was this death?
No. Sasuke couldn’t have killed him... He was too young. Too innocent.
Itachi glanced down at the kunai in his hand. It felt real. Cold. Heavy.
This wasn’t a flashback. He wasn’t dead. He was back in time.
Fugaku pointed toward a struggling Iwa ninja crawling nearby. “Kill him, Itachi. This is war.”
Unlike the first time this happened, Itachi wasn’t trembling at the command or at the distant battle cries of Konoha and Iwa shinobi fighting. He was trembling because it felt real.
Too real.
He was used to battle. He was a shinobi—a perfect one. But this time, he knew exactly what was coming.
The kunai was cold in his hand, but he gripped it tightly. He leaped forward and stabbed the man.
For the second time.
Blood sprayed across his small hands.
Fugaku looked at him, his gaze a mixture of pride and awe.
Itachi’s Sharingan blazed to life and Fugaku looked shocked yet proud.
Originally, he had awakened it at the age of 8 but now, it had activated much earlier.
He couldn’t focus on the exact timing. Survival instinct kicked in.
He was back in time. Somehow. And this time, he would save everyone.
He would never make Sasuke look so sad again.
When Fugaku led him back to the makeshift camp, he proudly declared that his son had awakened the Sharingan. The adult Uchiha shouted in joy at the news.
But Itachi couldn’t join in their celebration.
He was still crying.
This time, he would save them all.