Chapter 1
It had worked! Sasuke wasn't dead! His people- maybe not the one he knew- but his people nontheless- were alive. Now he just had to find his people and play the messenger.
The problem with that is that Sasuke had absoloutely no idea where or when he was.
Almost instinctively he surpassed his chakra - or tried to anyways- as he had learned not too long ago. After all, it could mean the difference between life and death. Then, he observed his environment.
Sasuke was in a bare landscape with nothing but bare land, rocks and mountains.
It was raining- heavily- and although the coat he had ransacked from his aunties home did keep him war it wouldn't be a good idea to search for Konoha or the Uchiha clan in general right now. It would leave too many tracks.
Sasuke sighed. For now, he decided, he had to find shelter. The mountains often had little cracks or caves...so just moving up was the way to go. For now.
Sasuke went up, as fast as he was able but not using chakra until he found a cave.
He tried to feel for other people's chakra but he couldn't find anything so he ventured more inside.
The cave was bare. It wasn't big, three adults could, Sasuke surmised, probably comfortably lie in here.
But right now it felt like a lifeline.
Sasuke put himself into a corner of the cave because it was less room to cover to defend himself in case of attack and he figured he could always flee by walll-walking. Then he pulled out his maps and a power-bar.
Then he started to think and plot and had to use the Calm-down Genjutsu on himself again just because he was working himself into a panic attack, thinking about if he would die before he found his clansmen or if he would be captured by bloodline-thieves or wether this was real or not ( there were mentions of post-death-hallucinations in several of the books Sasuke had read just in case they would be useful and Sasuke had known from the beginning that testing out a new seal could very well mean ones demise.)
Sasuke didn't even notice the hours going by, the rain still unrelenting. He didn't really notice his eyes falling heavier and heavier until he fell asleep.
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Sasuke did notice, however, when a large hand suddenly touched his head. The touch burned-perhaps because the person was warm and Sasukes body was cold, perhaps because Sasuke hadn't really been touched since that day.
Sasuke sprung up with spinning red eyes, pushed the hand away and sprinted up the cave walls. He pulled out a kunai too.
Only then did he even think to look at the person and stared right into the eyes of Uchiha Izuna, a man the Elders had always told him he looked like, a legendary warrior and the beloved brother of the former Uchiha clan-head who couldn't bear to live a life in peace with his brothers murderers.
Sasuke exhaled. Then he bowed, still very much standing somewhere on the walls of the cave and hopefully out of reach.
" Excuse me Izuna-sama...I was startled."
The man in question just stared at him. Then he nodded.
" It's fine, it wasn't a good idea to touch someone sleeping and I knew that could have a reaction. But now come down and pray tell me what on earth you are doing here. And who you are. I thought I knew everyone of the clan but I haven't seen you before."
Sasuke obeyed and jumped down landing softly on his feet with the help of chakra.
" I'm Sasuke...to be honest I don't know where I am...but I have a message for the Uchiha Clan. A matter of life and death."
Izuna gave him a contemplating look. " Well. If you do have an important message for the Uchiha Clan then why are you out here? You are Uchiha. And ever since Madara took over father's position as clan head we don't send young children out anymore. Were you perhaps born outside the clan and wish to join us?"
Sasuke hnned. " It's hard to explain...I can show you my memories though. I must warn you it is...not nice."
" Good." Izuna aknwoledged." But only once we are safely at the Compound...viewing memories of others does not require much time but takes immense focus and we aren't in our territory and could theoretically be attacked. Who taught you that anyways?"
Sasuke gulped.
" My mother...well not directly but she used to use it to tell me stories."
" Where is your mother now?" Izuna asked.
" Dead. My brother killed her and everyone else."
" I am sorry for you loss." Izuna aknowledged. "But can I ask who everyone else is?"
Sasuke exhaled. " T...the clan. Just everyone. It makes sense if you watch my memories."
Izuna went silent for a long moment until he looked at him with the Sharingan active. He started to talk but Sasuke couldn't hear him anymore, it was like his words were a dampened whisper overshadowed by a loud waterfall.
His hands were sweating, his breath became rapid and fast and all he could think about was that night and Itachi-the-Monster and red and blood and seeing his people die again and again without being able to do anything about it...
Then a wave of calm and safety hit him. Sasuke knew it was a Genjutsu because even with layers and layers of his don't-panic genjutsu he had never ever felt so calm and safe since that night.
Sasuke took a few deep breaths. The Genjutsu was obviously only over his emotions, he was still in the cave and Izuna was in front of him, eyes red and blazing.
"...It seems I still have some reactions to the sharingan because of...that night. I'm sorry. My brot...the monster showed me him killing everyone again and again and I...still react like this sometimes even if I am just looking at my own sharingan in the mirror. I meant no offense." Sasuke apologized.
" You were showing signs of being in a genjutsu and I wanted to unravel it in case someone is just using you to get me or other Uchiha into a trap or in case it harmed you. Since you are Uchiha I didn't think the sharingan would trouble you...if I had known that I would have genjutsu'd your emotions first. So you do not need to apologize and I assure you I am not offended. Now, since your mother taught you a few things you may know that the sharingan can see through lies. Can you answer a few questions for me? I give you my word that I will not harm you either way. You are a child of the clan and clan doesn't harm clan...normally."
" Alright." Sasuke answered.
" What's your full name and age?"
" Sasuke Uchiha, seven."
" Who are your parents?"
"...They don't exist here...they never did, here. Fukagu and Mikoto. My..the monster was born my brother, Itachi, thirteen."
" When did your brother kill..everyone?"
" Two months ago. Xxxx."
" Then how are you here?"
" Time travel. I devised a seal...well two? And I only had to put together a few things that were already there. We had a few books on Sealing. I stored chakra of artjfacts from Uchiha in myself- the seals here" Sasuke pointed at his shoulder ." And then used that to chakra and my own chakra to activate a seal that woukd bring me to...a place of existence were some of that chakra exists. So somewhere other Uchiha exists. I...made delivering what happened or could happen my life goal so that another could protect the clan. And I'm really glad I can fulfill it as soon as you see the memories."
Izuna was staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and pity, the first time he had shown any emotions since he had begun asking Sasuke questions.
" You really believe all that. You don't seem to be lying and there don't seem to be any compulsions on you. You are fully convinced this is the truth."
Sasuke hnned.
" Sasuke...what is your plan after Madara and I get the memories?"
"To disappear." Sasuke blurted out, his mouth moving seemingly without his control.
" Why did I say that?" He glared at Izuna.
" This genjutsu is designed to make people feel safe and comfortable and heavily compels them to say the truth." Izuna explained.
" And you can't just disappear. You're Uchiha, Uchiha stay together no matter where you are from. As soon as an Uchiha harms Uchiha, they aren't worthy of being clan anymore. " He added.
"...I know. " Sasuke aknowledged. " But I don't belong here. And if I did I wouldn't be worthy of belonging either because I couldn't save my people. The only place they exist now is my head. Staying would mean they don't matter."
" No." Izuna protested " If the time-travel is true then you literally did save your people after all you can prevent things that haven't happened yet. Or I and Madara can do that. We all can change everything. And you are doing this for them, aren't you? So staying would mean they do matter since you are helping to make them a better world to exist. And I highly doubt any dead person just wants you to suffer or throw you life away on their behalf."
Sasuke hnned but it was clear he didn't believe him.
" Either way." Izuna continued. " You are Uchiha so you automatically belong to the Uchiha. Now what are three things you like?"
"Cats, tomatoes and training?" Sasuke answered in a questioning voice.
" Cats and tomatoes it is! Sweet dreams...I assure you I will keep you safe." Izuna exclaimed.
Sasuke fell asleep and he dreamt of cats eating tomatoes, all sort of tomato dishes, being surrounded by cats in a sort of cuddle pile and, most bizarre, also about cats as red as tomatoes.
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When Sasuke woke up, he wasn't laying in the cave anymore. Instead he was laying on a desk in a house.
Immedeatly, Sasuke sat up and glared at Izuna Uchiha, who was just calmly sitting on a chair.
" Why did you genjutsu me?" He questioned.
" If I hadn't you might have run away and that would have made the way home longer and more dangerous. " Izuna explained.
" I wouldn't have." Sasuke protested.
" Are you sure? Even if you had realized that once you are here you can't leave again?" Izuna questioned.
" Yes. It's my duty to be here, for now. And after you'll just have to change your mind." Sasuke insisted.
" We'll see." Izuna aknowledged.
" Now, this is Madara Uchiha, my brother. " He gestured to a man Sasuke had just not noticed who was standing in a corner of the room.
" Nice to meet you." The man said and Sasuke greeted him with a " Hnn."
" Now, Izuna said you said something about time travel and that the clan where you are from is dead. His also said you would show your memories- are you still ready to do that?"
" Of course." Sasuke insisted.
" Now?" He asked.
" Yes. Now."
So Sasuke used the technique to give them his memories, a couple from his childhood and with his brother, a couple about history that would be relevant to understand the context, a couple about that night and his time-travel attempt.
Madara was soon engrossed in them while Izuna hestistated.
" I'm going to put you under a genjutsu again. I don't want you to run off and get hurt or that you have to hear us talking about your memories, okay?"
Sasuke glared.
" Hey when we are done I will let you out. And I can even make you see a story or something." Izuna insisted.
"...Fine." Sasuke relented, noting that his protests meant nothing.
This time, he dreamt about different Uchiha legends.
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The sun was already down when Sasuke was once again pulled from Genjtsu-induced sleep.
Immedeatly, the kid casts his own genjustu- the one to calm down- in himself.
Izuna made a funny face at that.
" It's not healthy long term if you genjutsu yourself." Izuna commented.
" Yeah but I don't need to be healthy long term." Sasuke retorted.
" Yes you do." The older Uchiha insisted.
" No I don't. " Sasuke protested, again.
Madara interrupted them.
" Children, really? We have things to discuss."
" I'm nineteen, I'm not a kid anymore." Izuna protested.
" I'm seven but I haven't been a kid since that night, just the most pathetic clanhead in history." Sasuke added.
" Hey, don't talk so negatively about yourself. If anything you are the most accomplished one. What clanhead can say he went from 0 clan-people and everyone being dead to nobody being dead?" Izuna protested.
" I couldn't protect my people though and that's like the number one priority the clan head has to have." Sasuke said, voice small.
" Technically you did. You became clan head after they were dead and than made it not so. What else can you expect from yourself of you already broke the rules of reality? Though I am sorry that it didn't work in a way that you could see your family again." Madara retorted, bowing down so that he had eye contact with the kid. " You did well, Sasuke. You fulfilled your duty in a way that couldn't ever be expected and in coming here you made sure things wouldn't turn out that way again. I give you my word on that. Do you understand? "
"...Yes." Sasuke aknowledged. He didn't...quite agree but it wouldn't do to peotest against two legendary ninja.
" Good. " Madara gave him a smile. " Now you just said that knew of the clanheads duty is to protect is people. If I told them the truth about you that would cause a panic so we need a cover story for you."
" You don't, I don't need to stay." Sasuke put in.
" Yes you do." The brothers said, almost in unison.
" Anyways...the most probable cover story is that you are our half-sibling that no one knew existed. Our father used to use quite a few brothels so it wouldn't be unbelievable."
"...Brothels? " Sasuke questioned.
" Don't worry your little head about it...it's a place where adults do adult stuff and sometimes babies are made by accident."
" Oooh. Paid Sex." Sasuke realized.
The brothers were just staring at him.
" What?" He defended himself. " I had the time to read a lot of books and one of the medicine ones talked about that and childbirth and then there was another about shinbi skills that talked about se-duc-tion missions."
" Well. At least we don't have to talk about that. " Madara aknowledged.
" Yep." Sasuke said. " But if you pretend I'm your fathers kid that' make you my brothers and no offense but I have bad experience with brothers. I mean, I showed you."
" Yes. But you don't have to call us your brothers, though it would be good. And we would never act like him. I swear it on my life and the grace of Amaterasu." Izuna answered.
" What will happen if I say no?" Sasuke asked.
" Exactly the same. If you talk about the truth people won't believe you, you might have to do chores as punishment and we'd probably let the Elders babysit you. You'll have more freedom and a better chance of helping the clan if you say yes." Madara explained.
" Fine. " Sasuke relented. " But you aren't allowed to call me foolish or little, you aren't allowed to poke my head, you aren't allowed to kill the clan and not kill me and you aren't allowed to say Later and then later never comes. And yiu have to protect the clan, obviously."
The brothers looked at each other, seemingly communicating with their gazes alone.
" That is acceptable. We need to go over a life-story of you now of its okay? Oh and we should probably make something to eat. Madara is a good cook. You like things with tomato, right?"
The rest of the evening was full of hot, tasty food, conversation, protest and discussions.
It was stressfull, everything was different and so new and yet..Sasuke felt better than before.
Because protecting the clan wasn't his duty alone anymore. It was Madaras and Izunas but they'd allow him to help.
And, maybe, also because Sasuke wasn't alone anymore.