Chapter 3
It happened in seconds.
Sakura would later look back and say those were the longest three seconds of her life—and also the most defining.
The normalcy of their mission had been refreshing—no surprise visits from demons of Kakashi-sensei's past, no greedy missing-nin wielding meat cleavers taller than themselves... it had been a welcome change from the steady inflow of dangerous and mislabeled missions Team Seven seemed to be handed on a daily basis. It was an easy delivery mission, C-rank only because of its political significance, not because of any actual danger.
Sakura should have guessed it was too easy.
The street had erupted into smoke, vile, toxic fumes that had burned her nose and eyes, leaving her feeling as though her sinuses were being scrubbed with bleach. Naruto was on the ground beside her, brought to his knees by the effects, their coughs echoing around the dense cloud of yellow smoke. Tears streamed down their faces as they clutched at each other's clothing and stumbled off the road in to the foliage, losing sight of Sasuke in the confusion.
They were unable to resist the enemy that struck them from behind.
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Sasuke's hands shook and his knees trembled; his breath came out in short gasps.
Itachi Uchiha had arrived.
"Y-you…" Sasuke stuttered, so surprised his voice was unsteady and quiet.
"Brother." Itachi's face showed no emotion—even less than usual because of the black and red cloak that obscured half his face.
"I'll kill you!" Sasuke snarled, his eyes flashing into the Sharingan as he dashed forward, kunai in hand-
Itachi's face twisted up into a smirk as he carelessly batted Sasuke's kunai away with a flick of his fingers, artfully digging his hand into the wrist joint at just the right pressure…
Sasuke's knees buckled from pain as his wrist bones were separated, dislocating and possibly fracturing his wrist.
"So… weak…" Itachi murmured, lashing out with a booted foot to catch Sasuke in the solar plexus and launch him a good seven feet away. "I see you haven't been training much…little brother." The older Uchiha tilted his head, his onyx gaze analyzing Sasuke as if he were an interesting insect he was deciding whether or not to squish. "You haven't been making the most of Hatake-san's teachings, I see."
"Kakashi-sensei…?" Sasuke sputtered, looking around wildly as if expecting the man to appear out of nowhere.
"Your sensei is occupied." Itachi said, his stance shifting slightly, disappointment radiating from him like the sun. "Now, about your training…"
"Shut up!" Sasuke screamed back, spittle flying from his mouth. "You have no right- grk."
Itachi was on him in a second, gripping him by the neck and hoisting him up to eye level. "You are weak." Itachi said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Are you the vessel with which I will test my capacity? Pathetic." The nuke-nin dropped the gasping genin onto the ground, turning away from his brother.
"Don't turn your back on me…" Sasuke growled, forcing himself off the ground, quaking with effort.
"I believe these belong to you…" Itachi looked over his shoulder and drew his cloak aside, revealing two mangled, crispy corpses; one clothed in red, the other orange.
Sasuke's eyes shot open, his mouth dropping as his face filled with horror."Naruto… Sakura…" Sasuke breathed his breath hitching. His eyes darted back to Itachi, only to find his brother's face made of stone.
"They fought well to protect you," Itachi continued, almost conversationally as he prodded the charred bodies with his sandaled foot. "they were loyal. It is unfortunate you were not strong enough to save them." Sasuke blinked, and Itachi was two inches from him.
A pair of fingers poked him in the forehead. "Foolish little brother." With a swirl of leaves the nuke-nin was gone.
Sasuke stared, immobile at what remained of his team. All…gone. Destroyed.
Sasuke's eyes closed and, unbidden, tears fell.