One could have found forests around as fas as sight went. Light chilly wind brushed the dusty lanes of Konoha, over which stood the faces of the four mighty Hokage. The surroundings were as festive as they would be on any occasion. Vendors hauled carts laid with supplies, ladies gossiped amongst themselves. A few Shinobis strolled around free of care. Children ran around playing ninja, not being a real one yet. The oddly cheerful atmosphere was as surreally satisfactory as one would expect during a festival.
The Ninja academy was filled with children carrying 'the will of fire', aspiring to serve their village. They were fruits of the teachings in this academy and looked forward to ripe even further.
The sound of cheers and applauds followed the one of shuriken slashing through the wooden target. The raven haired boy pierced the center with three shurikens, which went flying, slicing the air with a whoosh. The crowd that gathered around the training grounds shouted and cheered his name.
"Sasuke, you are amazing."
"Uchiha is so cool."
"Sasuke is a genius."
The voices rang around, but the boy slipped his hands in his pockets with a 'hmph'. From within the crowd, a pink-haired girl whose hair was parted and tied with a red ribbon, blushed when she saw him.
"Sasuke is so amazing," her jade eyes shone when she looked at his back.
But the raven haired boy was the least bit bothered by any of them. He was in the academy to be strong, like his brother, so he could hear the same words from his father's mouth that his brother Itachi used to listen every day, "That's my boy!"
The Uchiha clan was one of the most powerful clan in the hidden leaf village. Their visual prowess, the Sharingan, was feared as a threat by the entire shinobi world. It's an eye that can be deceived by none, an eye that can see through anything and one of the three most powerful Dôjutsu, other two being the Rinnegan and the Byakugan. The Rinnegan was supposed to be a myth, but another clan in Konoha, the Hyuga clan possessed the Byakugan.
Anyway, being an Uchiha was a pride in its own. And on top of it, when one's brother was a known genius, it gave one all the more pressure to become stronger. However, even after being this strong, Sasuke was regarded as nothing compared to his brother Itachi. He had to live as Itachi's shadow. His father seemed to only care about his elder son, which made Sasuke feel distant. He wanted to be loved and respected as much as his older brother. However, that didn't overshadow his profound love for his older brother. The only thing Sasuke looked forward to was going to train with Itachi. He waited long for his brother to complete a mission and return home. Itachi was a member of the Anbu, an organisation which worked from behind the shadows to protect the hidden leaf. Itachi was the youngest to be enrolled in the Anbu, that is at 11. At 13, he was already a squad captain. Being busy with missions, he couldn't find time to train with Sasuke. And recently, he rarely came back home.
Sasuke waited for him to come back. When he did, the small raven-haired boy asked him to train with him, but Itachi would smile and call Sasuke near him, as he would do so, expecting a positive response but all Itachi would do was poke him in the head and say, "Sorry Sasuke, some other time, okay?"
Itachi did the same thing almost every time and played it off, saying it was a mission, but even Sasuke understood that something was not right. But all he did in return was pouting and waiting again.
He used to see other children his age playing Ninja. Deep within his heart, even he wanted to play with them, laugh, smile and rejoice together, but it didn't matter what he felt. His duty was to become strong like his brother. That was back when Itachi was still in the village.
Shortly after, the Uchiha clan massacre occurred. It was found out that Itachi Uchiha of the leaf killed his own clan, leaving only his younger brother Sasuke Uchiha alive, and betrayed the leaf. He went rogue and joined a terrorist group called the Akatsuki.
That night, Sasuke was late from the academy. The sight petrified him and made his body tremble in fear. The corpses of his clan members lied grovelling on the ground. Nothing made sense. Colour drained from his face as his fear took over him when he remembered his parents. He ran over to his house and opened the door, calling for his parents, but there was no reply. He searched in the house, still frightened by what he saw. A creaking noise drew his attention, and he ran in the direction. He stood before the door but couldn't move an inch. His body trembled but paralysed with fear. Terror took the best of him until he finally gathered the courage to open the door. The room was filled with darkness except for the area lit by the moonlight, the area on which lied his parents' corpses, covered in blood. Sasuke took some steps forward when a shadow emerged from within the darkness.
It was him, Itachi Uchiha. His red eyes with the three tomoe marks— that shone in the moonlight —were the color of the blood on their parents' bodies.
Sasuke, too frightened to move, uttered with his trembling lips on seeing his brother, "Big brother, Itachi... father and mother are both... I don't... understand... who could do all this?"
His question was answered by a flying shuriken that ripped apart a piece of his sleeve, the wound sprouting blood.
Sasuke dishevelled by the scene said, "Wait a sec, what are you..."
Not being able to speak anything more, he was met by Itachi's emotionless gaze, his red eyes gazing deep into his soul. Sasuke's eyes widened, and he covered his wound with his hands. "Oh no, what have you done?", he shouted with the little voice he had.
Itachi calmly looked at his brother, frightened to death.
"Foolish little brother, I almost pity you." He said as he closed his eyes, opening them slowly as his eyes changed pattern, "Mangekyo Sharingan." Suddenly, Sasuke's consciousnesses was shaken up. He was in the streets. It seemed like time flew backwards. He saw his clan members, dying. Shurikens pierced their bodies with their blood splashing on the walls. Sasuke saw what happened with his own eyes and felt like he was going crazy. A deep pain struck his head, and he shouted, "Itachi. Why are you showing me all this?" His screams were unanswered. Like the world he was transported to was being controlled. His voice fell into deaf ears as he faced the agony of seeing his loved ones being killed in front of his very own eyes.
He couldn't move. Itachi appeared in front of him and killed more of his clan members. Sasuke couldn't do anything but scream. The scene shifted to his parents as he saw Itachi holding his sword against them. Sasuke cried, screamed, begged for Itachi to stop, but everything was a worthless effort. Itachi cut through their parents and Sasuke fell to the ground from the mental havoc he faced. The same scene repeated itself countless time until his mind was shattered. When it finally stopped, Sasuke dropped low drooling and panting. Itachi's eyes restored back to the normal onyx shade.
Sasuke's vision occasionally blurred as he saw his brother silently standing and glaring at him. His mind was full of a single question, which in itself was a big mystery. The genius boy, the prodigy Uchiha, the perfect older brother, why would he do such things? He asked him, unable to sit upright.
"To test the limits of my ability."
The answer was more threatening than the question. He was puzzled by what had taken over Itachi. Is he not himself? Is he an imposter? The answer was uncertain. But this definitely was not the Itachi he knew. Sasuke asked him once again, "Is that why you did this? Is that why you butchered every single member of our clan?"
As Itachi replied with a 'yes', Sasuke dashed towards him to attack but was himself met with a punch in the gut. He coughed up saliva from the sudden thrust to his body and fell down, with his face just in front of his father's, a lifeless one. Tears fell down his cheeks. Itachi stepped forward and Sasuke lifted himself up to back away. Sasuke was the person most familiar with his brother's abilities. He left no openings, not for a kid like him, anyway. There was no way to take him out. Honestly, Sasuke was scared as he mumbled the same thing on and on.
He ran out of the house, making a way through the pile of corpses on the street, crying in disbelief on how his not so perfect life turned even more outrageous. It was a nightmare.
"Please. I don't want to die." He screamed with tears wetting his face, but Itachi blocked the way.
"I don't believe it! This is too unlike you big brother, I mean--"
"The only reason I acted as your gentle elder brother was to test the limits of your abilities. You have the potential to fight me so I can test my abilities. You hated me and you wanted to surpass me, that is exactly why I will allow you to live, for my own benefit. You are one of the few who can awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan just like me. However, there is a catch to it." His brows furrowed to show a more arrogant side. "You have to kill your best friend... just like I did." Itachi mumbled the last few words.
Sasuke was taken aback. He remembered people talking about the death of Shisui Uchiha. Itachi was suspected from the start, but it was too unbelievable for Sasuke.
"You... you really did that...," Sasuke's voice trembled.
"Yes, that's right. And that is how I obtained these eyes." Sasuke couldn't do anything except standing and shaking with fear.
"The main hall of Nakano Shrine, underneath the seventh Tatami mat on the far right, is the secret gathering place of the clan. There you will find the secret of the eyes we Uchiha possess. If you manage to attain these eyes, you will be the third person including myself to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. If that happens, there will be a meaning in me allowing you to live. However, at present you are not even worth killing, foolish little brother." Itachi turned away. "If one day, you wish to kill me, then foster your hatred and despise me. By all means, flee, and cling to your wretched life. And one day, when you possess the same eyes as I do," his eyes changed into a shuriken like pattern, "come and face me." That was the last thing Sasuke heard before he lost his consciousnesses and fell on top of the ground.