A Lethal Weapon

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: The Secrets of the Mangekyou Sharingan

Hanako stood at the door and opened it slightly. She heard nothing. The girl entered without greeting and without taking her sandals off. She needed to know if her mom and siblings were okay, if they were still alive...

They were.

She could sense their chakra faintly but it was fading. Hanako also noticed her twin brothers weren't there, only her mom and Hikari, and they were both dying. She found them at the back of the house, severely wounded and their chakra almost drained. She deduced that there had been a fight.

The Uchiha kneeled beside her mother and took her hand. She had long tried to stop the tears from falling. There was no use, they weren't going to stop.

"Hanako..." She heard her mumble and leaned in closer to her. "Take care of your brothers," her mother let out in a sigh. "I love you so much..." She sensed her crying from how her voice sounded. It pained her to see her mother like this.

"I'm sorry...for being so late." Hanako tightened her fists.

"Hanako." The girl heard Hikari's voice a couple of meters away from where she was. She turned back to her mother only to notice that her face was pale and her eyes were already closed. She wasn't breathing anymore and her pulse had already stopped. She was dead. Hanako closed her eyes and stood up nearing where Hikari lay and knelt down next to her. "Is that you?" The Uchiha smiled slightly.

"Yes, Nee-chan. It's me." She felt a new set of tears fall from her eyes. 'Why did this have to happen? Why did I have to be so late?' she thought, closing her eyes tightly. "Dammit."

"It's okay, Hanako." She smiled. "I'm not in pain..." Her voice sounded a little hoarse. She turned her head slightly to look at her little sister. "I want you to make me a promise," she said and Hanako just nodded. "Promise me you'll live. You will take care of Ryusuke and Hayato. You will train them and protect them with your life. I also want you to be happy. Get married, have kids and tell your grandchildren your story. Live long..." Her last words were barely a whisper. "I love you, little sister..." she let it out in her last breath. Her chakra faded and Hanako knew this was the end.

"Oh my...how sentimental," a deep voice mocked. "So much that it's disgusting." Hanako glared at the man behind her, and charged at him with a kunai in hand. He swiftly kicked her on her stomach and she went flying to the opposite wall, crashing into it. The girl activated her Sharingan and looked around for him but didn't find him anywhere. "Looking for me?" She heard him and felt as his hand suddenly gripped her neck, letting her breath away. "You're a shame; you weren't even able to save your own family." He threw her once again against the wall and Hanako gasped as she coughed out blood. His mask... his cloak... This was Tobi... So, this was what Shiro Zetsu meant. The massacre...

Hanako opened her eyes and found herself in her room lying on her bed. She got up from it and walked to the other side of the room to stand in front of the full body mirror that was next to the door. The Uchiha looked at herself, she was ten years old, not thirteen. 'How strange.' Hanako narrowed her eyes and looked at her face. Was it a dream?

Then she noticed her eyes. Her Sharingan was activated but not with the usual three tomoes. This one had a different form. Her chakra flow was wild so she figured she was in an illusion. Although she couldn't sense anyone's chakra near, not even Shisui's. Hanako deactivated the Sharingan and her chakra went back to normal. 'So, it was self-inflicted,' she thought. But now the question was, how she had managed to catch herself in a Genjutsu without realizing it. Strangely, it had felt so real. Hanako sighed and went back to bed.

"What was it?" she mumbled to herself. Then she closed her eyes and drifted once again back to sleep. "What...was it?"

That morning, Hanako woke up with a massive head ache. She felt as if someone was hammering her skull, trying to make a hole with a nail in her head. The throbbing was unbearable, and even the slightest sound —including the whistling of the wind— worsened the pain. She couldn't even think, let alone talk or call for help, because her voice hurt her ears.