Journey of Discovery

Chapter 3 - Battle of Brothers

She was brought to a forest, dense with foliage and trees. In the distance she could see a large domed building made of stone, it didn't look familiar to her.

She didn't see anyone around her so she took this moment to think back and analyze what she has seen so far.

'So Papa unlocks his Sharingan when Uncle Itachi put him under Genjutsu. I don't know what he showed him but I know it wasn't good. But why? What was his reasoning? He looked so sad afterwards...'

She couldn't make sense of her Uncle's motive. Why did he look so sad? He did this on purpose, he must've wanted to do it. She still had so many unanswered questions. She knew she wouldn't get answers from her father so this was the only way.

Sarada was suddenly pulled to a rooftop nearby. Her father was facing off against a man who looked like a shark with a large sword on his back. Behind Sasuke was two people she recognized, Karin and Suigetsu.

Suigetsu had a large sword of his own and approached the shark man and began to fight. Karin stayed back out of the way while Sasuke ran forward towards the domed building.

He stood at the entrance and stared up at the massive building, the Uchiha crest to be specific. She could see many emotions on his face; pain, anger, sadness, love, and fear. He took a deep breath and relaxed his features. It was like he put on a mask, all previous emotions were gone.

He walked through the halls like he knew exactly where he was heading. There were torches lit along the walls every 10 steps or so. He was wearing a cloak with his blade tucked underneath against his hip. Bandages decorated his forearms and around his forehead. She could tell he had been injured previously, by what or whom she didn't know.

He turned and walked down a hallway that opened up into a large room. In the center against the wall, Itachi sat in a large stone chair waiting for Sasuke.

"Tell me Sasuke. How much can you see with that Sharingan of yours?"

Sasuke stopped and stared down his brother. "How much can I see? What I see, Itachi, is you dead at my feet." His voice was low, almost a growl.

"Well then go on, make it happen." He was beside Sasuke in an instant and sliced at him with a kunai. Sasuke pulled his sword from the sheath and was able to block it before it made contact with him.

Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the back of the neck and threw him into the ground, his sword piercing the ceiling. Sasuke quickly lit the floor using his Chidori Stream. What Itachi did not expect was a shadow clone to drop from the ceiling with the sword and stab him into the floor. Itachi reached up and pointed towards the throne where he was still seated before turning into crows.

'A Genjutsu? Why can I see this now but not before?'

They had been staring at each other unmoving. Each one locked in a Genjutsu, trying to outdo the other with their visual prowess.

Their internal battle ceased and Itachi stood to approach his younger brother. He began to explain the Mangekyo Sharingan to him. How in the past their clan stole their eyes from their siblings in order to obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. How siblings battled one another for them because they were going blind due to the over use of their own Mangekyo Sharingan.

'How could our clan do that? To their own family? No wonder Papa never told me...'

"Sasuke! You are the one who will become my new light! You have my spare eyes!"

Sasuke calmly removed the bandages from his head and unbuttoned his cloak to fall to the floor in a heap.

"It was all just for this?" He whispered painfully.